When Middlesbrough completed the signing of Paddy McNair in the summer it was seen as a real coup for Tony Pulis and the club.

The Northern Irishman was one of the few bright spots for Sunderland in a dismal campaign that resulted in a second successive relegation.

Even though injuries impacted McNair he managed to put a run of games together towards the end of the season and was scoring a lot of goals.

However, since arriving at the Riverside it's fair to say the 23-year-old's career has stalled.

He has managed just 34 minutes of league action in 2019 and can't seemingly force his way into Pulis' plans and when he does he can't nail down a position.

But, McNair offered a timely reminder of his quality for his country over the past few days, playing a starring role as Northern Ireland picked up six points against Estonia and Belarus.

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Whilst his input in those games may be remembered for a sitter he missed at Windsor Park against the Estonians, his overall contribution was impressive.

Playing in his preferred box-to-box midfield role the ex-Manchester United man showed his all-round ability.

He gave the side a real energy and importantly a threat in the opposition box with his intelligent movement and power - and he also linked up with Boro teammate George Saville well.

So, with Boro enduring a torrid run at present, Pulis has to be considering changes and the summer recruit must be coming into his thinking.

The current midfield options aren't really doing enough and McNair showed over the past few days that he could give them a spark they are desperately lacking.