Middlesbrough boss Neil Warnock has asked Middlesbrough fans to hang on a little longer after they questioned why their new star signing Martin Payero has only featured sporadically thus far in Boro's matches.

The Middlesbrough manager was questioned after their home defeat to Queens Park Rangers last night, a game which saw Rangers win 3-2 despite playing the vast majority of the second half with just 10 men. Some of the Boro faithful were wondering why a player with the ability to breakdown a defence like Payero was not used until the final knockings of the game, failing to give him an opportunity to stamp his authority on the match.

Warnock's answer to the supporters was simple.

"He has to get used to the pace of the game," Warnock said, as quoted by Teesside Live, sighting a lazy late free kick from the Argentinian as a justification for him not yet being up to speed.

"He has technical ability, there's no doubt about that, but at the moment he's quite a way away."

Last night's display at the Riverside was one of overall disappointment for Middlesbrough, with their defending at times looking schoolboy, something Warnock will certainly not have been enamoured with. Their lack of a creative spark when chasing an equaliser was evident, a void that Boro will hope Payero can fill once he is deemed ready by the coaching staff.

The performance of fellow central midfielder Matt Crooks was a bright moment, however, with the colossal former Rotherham man showing class with his feet when firing in to level the scores at 2-2.

The Verdict

This from Warnock suggests that Payero could be spending a fair amount of time adapting to the frenetic style of the second tier, and it could be a while before EFL fans begin to see the true ability of him.

Clearly the veteran manager in Warnock has plenty of experience at this level, and therefore knows the tools required for a player to perform to the standard, thus making his judgement on Payero one in which Middlesbrough fans should trust wholeheartedly. However, the impatient nature of supporters nowadays means that they will most certainly not want to wait another couple of months before seeing him feature in the starting 11. And should results begin to falter, Payero may find himself rushed into the first team before he is deemed fully prepared by the gaffer.

The pressure that a multi-million pound move comes with is going to almost certainly become a burden on the young player, especially if he doesn't start very well, with the term transfer flop a very popular one nowadays. Therefore, Warnock taking his time to blood him into English football seems like a wise move.