It's safe to say that Middlesbrough haven't got off to a strong start to their league campaign this season under the guidance of Jonathan Woodgate. 

Boro currently sit 20th in the league table, and it's clear to see that a number of Woodgate's squad are not playing

One player that has been a rare bright spark in the Middlesbrough team though is Paddy McNair, who was in impressive form during the international set of fixtures.

McNair netted a brace for Northern Ireland in a 3-2 win over Czech Republic on Monday, as they rounded off international duty in the best way possible.

In a pre-match press conference (quotes sourced from Teeside Live) ahead of Middlesbrough's game against West Brom, Woodgate was impressed with what he saw from McNair after his match-winning display for his country.

"Paddy played really well in midweek and that will give him a boost but he’s not been short of confidence this season."

Woodgate also stated that McNair has been Middlesbrough's best player this season, and labelled his performances as 'terrific'.

"He’s been our best player this season and he took that into the Northern Ireland games.

"I watched both games and he was terrific in both of them."

It's going to be a tough test for Boro on Saturday, as they take on a West Brom side that will be keen to build on a number of impressive performances already this season.

Slaven Bilic's side are currently sat top of the Championship table, and will fancy their chances of adding to Middlesbrough's woes.

The Verdict: 

I have to agree with Woodgate in saying that McNair been Middlesbrough's best player so far this season.

If you think about it, it's not that difficult for a player to standout in this team at the moment, as collectively they've been really poor.

The other members of the Middlesbrough squad need to take note from McNair's performances and if they can do that, then Boro will soon find themselves climbing the Championship table.