After narrowly missing out on a return to the promised land of the Premier League last season, Aitor Karanka's men are still on course to go one step further this time around.

They're currently in second place in the Championship, level on points with Hull City, and with a game in hand over the Tigers.

However, recent form suggests a minor wobble is taking place after surprising losses to relegation-threatened Bristol City and Nottingham Forest, and a draw to Blackburn Rovers.

With the gap now just six points between sixth-placed Sheffield Wednesday and the top two, Middlesbrough will be hoping that they can see out the remainder of the season and regain their place in Premier League after a seven-year absence.

On paper, they've got one of the strongest squads in the Championship which was strengthened by January signings Ritchie De Laet and the prolific Jordan Rhodes up in attack.

Between the posts, Greek goalkeeper Dimi Konstantopoulos has been instrumental in helping Boro climb the table - keeping nine consecutive clean sheets between November last year and January this year.

Up front David Nugent and Cristhian Stuani have both bagged six league goals each, to help propel the club up the table towards automatic promotion contention.

Boro are definitely a force to be reckoned with and you wouldn't bet against being promoted at the end of the season.

However in a squad of such high quality, which players tend to get more praise than perhaps they deserve?

Football League World writer Alex Grove picks THREE players he believes are the most overrated at the club........

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PRESS THE IMAGE BELOW TO SEE THE 3 PLAYERS!

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Stewart Downing

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When this England International made a sensational return to the Riverside in July last year, the odds of Aitor Karanka's side reaching the Premier League quickly tumbled.

Downing only missed one league game for the Hammers last season, so it was a shock to see the winger so keen to rejoin the Teesiders on a permanent deal.

There's no denying that Downing is a reliable player to have in your team - capable of scoring from free kick situations and swinging in crosses and corners for the strikers to meet.

However he is included in this list because his stats this season are quite underwhelming for a player that Boro fans might have expected more from.

He has only been able to find the back of the net three times for the club - his last goal coming against Rotherham at the start of November - and has made four assists all season.

Of course Downing is still an exceptional talent and you'd be silly to not want the 31-year-old in your team, but for someone of his pedigree you would expect him to be constantly ripping opposition defences to shreds, and personally there is room for improvement for the England international.

Jordan Rhodes

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A bit of a controversial pick considering he has only played just shy of 20 minutes for his new club, but I think that the Scotsman will have to score some pretty important goals in the latter half of the season to justify his hefty price tag.

Rhodes signed on deadline day from Blackburn Rovers for an initial fee of £9m which could potentially rise to £13m.

At the start of the season, the former Huddersfield striker was on fire scoring 7 goals in 5 consecutive games which again set the rumour mill going of when he would secure a much-wanted move to the Premier League.

However since that seventh goals on October 3rd for the Lancashire club, Rhodes has only scored 3 times in the league.

For a player with such a big price tag, you would have expected him to be able to maintain a consistent scoring record to justify the amount of money he is supposedly worth.

If you compare him to Championship rival Andre Gray, who joined Burnley in the summer for £9m, Gray has scored 8 more league goals for the Clarets and has definitely been more consistent across the course of the season so far.

Whether he can settle at the Riverside and quickly find his shooting boots remains to be seen, but if he does then he will undoubtedly quickly become a favourites with the fans, who won't bat any eyelashes at the price paid for the 26-year-old.

Albert Adomah

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The Ghanaian midfielder is now in his third year at the Riverside after racking up over 100 appearances for the Teesiders over that period of time.

After signing for the club in the summer of 2013, Adomah started the season as a man on the hunt for goals, scoring 7 in his first 14 appearances under Tony Mowbray.

However since then the winger has struggled to consistently get amongst the goals for the Championship side. This season he has managed only 4 league goals.

Adomah has started most of Boro's games this season, but with the squad continually getting stronger as their aspirations of a return to Premier League football get more desperate, the winger is at serious risk of being shunned if he doesn't start showing Karanka why he is an integral part of the squad.

Boro's squad is probably one of, if not the most competitive in the Championship and Adomah's performances this season has often left a lot to be desired to justify his place in the starting XI.

Do you agree with the players I think are underrated? Are there any players that you think should be on the list instead of these three? 

Let us know your thoughts and views by leaving us a comment below!