4 Middlesbrough FC players who will surely be seeking a loan exit before August 30th | OneFootball

Boro are planning to mount a promotion charge next season, and some players may not feature in Michael Carrick's plans.

Highlights

Middlesbrough are looking to build a squad that is capable of delivering Premier League promotion next season.

Head coach Michael Carrick is looking for quality over quantity in the transfer market this summer, as he targets players whom he's confident can make a big impact straight away.

But what could those arrivals mean for those players who are on the fringes of first team football at the Riverside Stadium?

Football League World takes a look at four Middlesbrough players who should be seeking loan opportunities away from the club this summer.

Josh Coburn

It's been an up and down couple of seasons for Josh Coburn as a Middlesbrough player.

One minute, he looks to have cemented his place in the first team squad, the next, he's back on the outside looking in.

The emergence of Emmanuel Latte Lath will not have done his prospects of regular football at the Riverside any favours either, and his road to playing time may be about to get even more congested too.

Boro recently confirmed the capture of versatile forward Delano Burgzorg from Mainz, but the former Huddersfield Town player doesn't appear to be the only addition the club will make to the striking department this summer.

That is because Carrick is reportedly still in the hunt for another centre-forward, as Boro's Ivorian Latte Lath missed 16 Championship games last season, and the Boro boss clearly wants a better insurance policy behind their main man should he miss time again next season.

What this means for Coburn is that he will likely be competing for the third-choice striker role at best this summer, and for a 21-year-old, he needs to be playing regular football in order to continue his progression as a player.

Therefore, a loan move should be one that is welcomed by both parties in the coming weeks.

Alex Gilbert

Alex Gilbert is a player who had to remain extremely patient for his opportunity to show what he can do in a Middlesbrough shirt last season, and when he was handed his chance, he took it.

In just 226 minutes of Championship football in 2023/24, the 22-year-old scored one goal and contributed three assists, as he proved he's ready to make a positive impact in Carrick's squad.

But with the aforementioned capture of Burgzorg now beefing up Boro's forward options, and with the returns of Marcus Forss and Riley McGree to come next season, the Irish youth international looks to have a real battle on his hands to earn regular minutes once again.

And with a player that has shown so much promise when granted his opportunity, getting splinters sitting on Middlesbrough's bench next season would not be beneficial for anyone.

Therefore, the former Brentford man should look to seek a temporary loan move away this summer, and come back to the football club at the end of the year a much improved player for having that experience.

George Gitau

Should Boro have failed in their courting of Luke Ayling this summer, 20-year-old right-back George Gitau may well have been called upon to play a part in the first team squad next season.

As it happened, Ayling had no reservations about signing on with Boro for a further two years, and he looks set to resume his role as Carrick's starting right-back.

Boro are also set to be boosted by the long-awaited return of fellow veteran campaigner Tommy Smith, after he missed two thirds of last season with an Achilles injury.

Unfortunately for Gitau, that means his path to first team football appears to be blocked next season, but his impressive performances in the club's academy side should give him belief that he's ready for senior football.

The young Kenyan has been quietly making quite a name for himself, and is highly-regarded at Rockliffe Park. Finding a temporary source of first team football elsewhere should be on his mind this summer.

Samuel Silvera

Australian international Samuel Silvera firmly falls into the category of, 'there's a player in there', but as of yet, Carrick doesn't appear to have found the key to unlock his potential.

His debut season in English football wasn't a disaster by any stretch of the imagination, with six goals and three assists in 42 total appearances for the 23-year-old winger.

But the former Central Coast Mariners forward looked half a step behind at times, and with Boro receiving attacking reinforcements this summer, his mediocre campaign could well have forced him down the pecking order.

As such, a lateral loan switch across the Championship could work wonders for him, as he could star for a club such as a newly promoted side.

A season spent as a star player for another side could mean Silvera returns to Teesside far closer to the player Middlesbrough hoped they were getting when he signed last summer.