Middlesbrough boss Neil Warnock has revealed that he will be prepared to let Marcus Browne leave in January if he doesn't play in the coming months.

The 22-year-old has been restricted to two substitute appearances in the league this season but he has impressed on both occasions, scoring against Bournemouth last month and he looked sharp against Bristol City last time out.

However, with the experienced boss going with a 3-5-2 for this campaign, it's been hard for Browne to force his way into the XI and the player is looking to play regularly.

Speaking to Teesside Live, Warnock heaped praise on the attacking midfielder and called for patience, stating a potential deal to leave will be revisited in the New Year if nothing changes.

"We're only talking about 10 weeks to January. If he didn't get a look-in until January then I'd help him out but at the moment our needs are greater. He's playing really well. It's not a lot to ask someone to stick around.

"It may be that we change a system during the game and he can come on. I do think wide of a three is his best position."

The verdict

This is very good management from Warnock and Browne will love the honesty from the boss as there's no doubting where he stands.

Unfortunately for him, the current system isn't suited to him, which most would agree with, but as Warnock says, things can change quickly in football.

He still has a role to play in the coming weeks and he's obviously impressing in training, so it's just a case of waiting and seeing what happens before making a decision in January.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.