Neil Warnock insists there is "no way" Hayden Coulson will be allowed to leave Middlesbrough for Ipswich Town at the moment.

Coulson enjoyed an excellent breakthrough campaign under Jonathan Woodgate in 2019/20, winning the club's Young Player of the Season award.

But the left-back struggled to replicate that form last season, with the 23-year-old featuring 17 times in the Championship and starting on only five occasions.

Ipswich Town are keen to take the 23-year-old on loan for the season, though, as Paul Cook continues to strengthen his new-look squad at Portman Road.

Their interest has been around for a while, but Middlesbrough are still yet to allow the defender to leave on a temporary basis.

Speaking ahead of the new season, Neil Warnock has told the Teesside Gazette that there is "no way" Coulson will be allowed to leave the Riverside on loan as things stand.

He said: "We've had Bola who has not just picked up a knock but is isolating as well. We have to get everyone back.

"Bola is training again now. Coulson is not. There's no way Hayden is going out on loan at the moment, you've seen the squad, we're very thin."

Boro kick their Championship campaign off with a trip to Fulham on Sunday, after beating Rotherham by a goal to nil in their final pre-season friendly clash.

The Verdict

It's understandable to be fair to Warnock.

He never seems to shy away from these kind of questions and will always be open about a player's future, and at the moment, it would be a risk to let Coulson leave.

If they can get Ciaron Brown over the line and get a few players back fit and firing, then they may revisit this stance and let Ipswich have Coulson for the campaign.