MICHAEL Carrick hopes Isaiah Jones benefits from bravely speaking out about his mental health struggles last season, and is looking forward to hopefully seeing the winger back to his best in a Middlesbrough shirt.

Jones burst onto the scene with Boro a couple of seasons ago having joined from non-league side Tooting and Mitcham, but struggled to rediscover that form last term and had a lengthy spell not just out of the side but out of the matchday squad all together.

What wasn't known at the time was that Jones was going through an incredibly tough time off the pitch, and when he told Carrick of his troubles the head coach opted to take the 24-year-old out of the spotlight.

Carrick obviously didn't go public with the real reason for Jones' absence last season, which only came to light earlier this summer when the wideman bravely told The Beautiful Game podcast of his struggles. Jones revealed that he lost seven family members over the course of 12 months.

He said: “I was in a dark place. The gaffer offered me to take a couple of weeks off, but I said, ‘If I do that, I’ll go into an even deeper hole’. I said I would train, but I wouldn’t be training at my best. He said, ‘You’re young, what you’re going through in life is going to affect you’. I’ll always respect what he did for me in those four or five months when I wasn’t playing or wasn’t starting.”

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Carrick and Boro helped Jones through the tough spell and at the end of last season he returned to action and showed flashes of his very best form. Carrick was delighted to see Jones back on the pitch and has been enthused by what he's seen from the winger so far this summer.

He said: “Obviously I was aware of it last season and tried to help Izzy through it and took him away from the spotlight and tried to look after him really.

"He’s come back since and looked bright again. He made a big impact with that first goal (against Bradford on Wednesday night).

"We know what he brings and what he can do. I hope it helps him getting it off his chest, and I’m sure it will. You don’t want anyone to have to go through tough times in any way. We’re here to help though, and we try to do that as best as we possibly can."

Jones is now looking to force his way back into the Boro first team, having shown in the past that he can be among the very best attackers in the Championship when he's on top form.

Carrick said: “It’s like everyone, you’ve got to take your chances and you’ve got to show what you’re good at. You’ve got to show that you deserve to be in the team.

"I say that about everyone, not just any one individual. We know what Izzy is capable of, and we’re looking forward to seeing that more."