This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Middlesbrough winger Isaiah Jones has been out-of-favour in recent weeks under Michael Carrick.
Jones' last start for Boro came at the end of December and he has made just three substitute appearances in the league since then, while he was left out of the squad altogether for the recent win over Millwall.
The 23-year-old started the season as a regular under former boss Chris Wilder and he was moved to a more advanced position initially under Carrick, but has lost his place after a decline in form.
It is not long since Jones was a man in demand, with Premier League clubs including West Ham United, Crystal Palace and Wolverhampton Wanderers reportedly interested in him.
But with his minutes limited, we asked some of our FLW writers whether Middlesbrough could look to sell him in the summer.
James Reeves
It would not be a surprise to see Middlesbrough look to offload Jones.
While he is no doubt a player with potential who has proven his ability at this level, it is becoming increasingly clear that he is not Carrick's first-choice option.
The form of Marcus Forss is keeping him out of the side, although he may be needed if Forss was to get injured, particularly after Duncan Watmore's departure left them a little light in the wide areas.
Carrick is not afraid to be ruthless with those who do not fit into his plans, as he has demonstrated with the likes of Watmore, Rodrigo Muniz and Matthew Hoppe.
Jones is one of Boro's most sellable assets, but the problem for them is that his value will decrease the less he plays and they may regret not cashing in on him sooner.
Simmey Hannifin-Donaldson
There's a long way to go this season and I wouldn't necessarily write Isaiah Jones off just yet.
He is a talented player and if his involvement remains as little as it does currently, I'd be surprised.
That said, if it does remain so, I could definitely see a summer exit on the cards.
We must not forget this is a player that has been linked with Premier League clubs in the past and although not performing at that level right now, or being picked for his club, I've no doubt plenty of Championship sides would be eager to snap him up if available.
Ben Wignall
Jones was starting games under Carrick until the end of December, but quite clearly he would rather utilise a forward such as Marcus Forss out on the right instead for whatever reason.
Even though he is a winger by trade, Jones' best performances in a Boro shirt have come as a wing-back, but with Carrick moving away from Chris Wilder's favoured formation and Jones not really suiting being a right-back in a back four, it's tough to see where he currently fits in.
This is a player that since last season has been linked with Premier League moves, so he quite clearly has talent, but this season his end product hasn't really been there.
The less he plays though, the more his value will go down, and Boro have probably missed their best chance to cash in on Jones last summer - therefore I can see him sticking around at the club as a squad player as I do not believe that a Premier League club would currently take a chance on him in his current form.