It has been a really disappointing season for Middlesbrough so far.

The appointment of Jonathan Woodgate and the attacking football he promised to bring to the club had suggested that it could be an exciting new era for the club after the exit of Tony Pulis but that just hasn’t happened so far.

The Teessiders are 20th in the Championship, just two points above the relegation zone and facing a difficult run of fixtures–beginning with league leaders West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.

One of the positives so far has been the performances of Paddy McNair. The 24-year-old has been a regular fixture in Woodgate’s team in the 2019/20 campaign and appears to have impressed the boss, who told Teesside Live he had been Boro’s best player this season earlier today.

His form has not gone unnoticed by his national side Northern Ireland and McNair started both games for them during the international break.

We put a spotlight on his performances to examine how he got on.

McNair started both games for Northern Ireland during the break, playing every minute of both the 3-1 loss to the Netherlands in the UEFA Euro 2020 Qualifier and then the 3-2 win over Czech Republic in an international friendly.

The former Manchester United man has in the past been a victim of his own versatility–regularly shifted around by managers who felt he could do a job in multiple positions. This season he has almost exclusively played in central midfield, as he did in both games across the international break.

McNair does not have much of a reputation as a goalscorer but has scored twice already for Boro this season and added to that tally for his national side. The 24-year-old found the net twice against the Czech Republic–the first saw him dart into the box and calmly finish, while the second saw him charge forward from almost inside his own half, go round the keeper and slide the ball into the net.

The two goals and the shot accuracy of 66.7% are evidence of his growing confidence and capability in front of goal. Along with that comes a willingness to get into the penalty area, which he showed with his three touches in the opposition box.

His new-found attacking confidence has appeared to impact his defensive work rate and he showed his capabilities in that area for Northern Ireland–making five interceptions and five clearances.

McNair carried his impressive club form into his international duty and Boro will now be hoping he can do the reverse ahead of some difficult fixtures. The 24-year-old will likely return to the Championship club full of confidence and Boro will need that if they're to turn things around this season.

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