FORMER Middlesbrough Under-23s boss Graeme Lee believes Josh Coburn can thrust himself into Michael Carrick's plans after his season on loan at Bristol Rovers.

But Coburn won't be rushed, says Lee, and whether it's next season or the following campaign that he nails down a place in Boro's side, the former Academy coach believes the striker and his fellow Academy graduates will have taken huge confidence from the emergence of Hayden Hackney and Michael Carrick's willingness to give youngsters a chance on Teesside.

Lee knows Boro well having spent more than a decade at the club and worked his way up to become Under-23s boss before leaving for Hartlepool United in 2021.

He worked closely with Coburn during his time at Boro and wanted to take the striker to Pools on loan when he was in charge at the Suit Direct Stadium, but then boss Chris Wilder decided to keep the youngster at the club.

Coburn was sent out on loan last summer and spent the full season with Bristol Rovers, scoring 10 goals in 41 appearances in all competitions and impressing boss Joey Barton, who tipped the Boro striker to go on and play for England in the future.

He'll return to Boro for the start of pre-season hoping to impress Carrick.

"He's spent the season in League One which will have been brilliant for him," Lee, who was this week appointed new boss of Marske United, told the Northern Echo.

"He's already impacted the Boro first team in the past, he's scored some massive goals for the first team and has had a good year in League One.

"I saw him at the Riverside at the play-off game (against Coventry) and he looked like he'd grown again.

"Boro will have a plan, I know the manager and Woody will have a plan for him. They'll look at him in pre-season and it's down to Josh. He's seen with Hayden and others, if they're good enough they'll play, it doesn't matter how old they are.

"Hopefully he'll make a big impact. It won't be long. If it's not this year it'll be next year and he'll be pushing for that first team."

Having worked in the Boro academy environment, Lee speaks from experience in telling of how the club's youngsters will have been boosted by Carrick's readiness to give the club's teenage talent a first team chance.

As well as Hackney establishing himself as a fixture in the first team, Sonny Finch and Pharrell Willis both made their first team debuts this season.

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Lee said: "It's massive for the lads. There have been years where the young lads might not get a chance and the academy players don't see the pathway. To see that pathway this season has been amazing.

"When you're a young lad and you're training week in, week out with Hayden and then all at once he's in the first team, you think 'hold on I'm not a million miles away here'.

"What lads have to realise is how hard it is to get there and then sustain it.

"The academy lads will go away for the summer now and will need to rest their bodies for a couple of weeks but they have to come back in shape and ready.

"They'll get assessed and will get opportunities in pre-season with the first team in some capacity. It's just about catching the eye and doing the right things, make sure you're fit and have no excuses.

"The club has gone from trying to stay up at the start of the season to pushing for the Premier League so the standards are being raised all the time.

"It's the same for the young lads and their dedication and discipline is massive so they can come back and give themselves the best opportunity."