MICHAEL CARRICK has been delighted with Finn Azaz’s start to the season, and is confident the Middlesbrough forward will soon start delivering an end product to go with his promising build-up play.

Having joined Boro in a January move from Aston Villa, this always looked like being a crucial campaign for Azaz, who successfully settled into life on Teesside in the second half of last season.

The 24-year-old has started all four of Boro’s Championship matches so far this term, but is yet to open his goalscoring account for the season.

He has, however, delivered two assists – the joint-second highest tally in the second tier – and given the strength of his performances, Carrick is confident it will not be too long before he is finding the back of the net himself.

“Finn is a talented player, and he’s really clever how he plays the game,” said the Boro boss, whose side have picked up seven points from their opening four league games. “He’s an important player because of how many chances he creates and how he manages to find those pockets of space and can provide that final pass as well as goals.

READ MORE:

“It hasn’t quite come for him in terms of the end product yet, but I think that’s the case for all our front players at the moment. We’re doing a lot of good things though.”

Having made his senior international debut in March, Azaz was surprisingly omitted from the Republic of Ireland squad for the current Nations League double-header against England and Greece.

That does, however, mean he has been able to train at Rockliffe Park during the international break, with Carrick set to step up preparations for Saturday’s home game with Preston in the next couple of days.

Azaz played in a left-sided attacking role during Boro’s 2-0 win at Cardiff prior to the international break, although there is likely to be a reshuffle in the final third this weekend with Emmanuel Latte Lath expected to return to the starting XI.

Carrick could opt to keep Azaz out on the left, or could move him back inside to the ‘number ten’ role – either way, the Boro boss is confident the forward’s versatility will continue to be a valuable asset over the course of the remainder of the campaign.

“Finn was good at Cardiff, playing off the left, which he’s flexible enough to do,” said Carrick. “He’s hungry to develop and be better, which is fantastic for me as a coach. He’s got a great personality. There is a lot more to come, but he’s doing well.”