Chris Wilder has built a reputation for developing defenders, particularly for his transformation of players like Chris Basham and Jack O'Connell at Sheffield United.
The Blades made an incredible impact to finish ninth in their first season after promotion to the Premier League in 2019/20 with overlapping centre backs causing teams all kinds of problems.
Many are expecting more of the same with Wilder at Middlesbrough but the former Northampton Town manager revealed that he wants to see much more than that.
Wilder detailed exactly how he wants his defenders to play when he spoke to TeessideLive.
He said: "When it comes to what we want from our defenders, we want technically-good players who can come out with the ball and enable us to dominate possession, but in an effective way.
"I don’t want to see my centre-halves passing the ball to each other and having 800 or 900 passes if there’s not anything at the end of the pitch. I’m sure if I’m a centre-forward watching the centre-halves just pass it to each other, then I’m not going to be happy."
Boro were very impressive in their 2-1 victory over Huddersfield Town last weekend and neutral observers will be tracking the development of the likes of Dael Fry and Paddy McNair in the coming months, identifying them as key players for Boro to reduce the gap between themselves and the play-off places.
The Verdict
Wilder is keen not to be pigeon holed as a manager and has deployed many different systems in his time in management. However, his standing went to new heights in taking Sheffield United from League One to competing for European places in the Premier League in just four seasons.
Middlesbrough supporters will be very excited by his past and what they have seen already at The Riverside as they prepare to welcome Russell Martin's Swansea City this afternoon. A win would see Boro leapfrog the Swans and potentially cut the gap to the top six to just four points. An interesting month prior to the January transfer window lies ahead as Wilder looks to put his unique stamp on the Boro squad.