Middlesbrough have been linked with Rotherham United midfielder Dan Barlaser ahead of the January transfer window.

Football Insider has reported that Boro are considering raiding their Championship rivals for the 25-year-old, who is out of contract at the Yorkshire club in the summer.

The Millers will not want to lose him but they risk seeing him leave for nothing if they don't sell next month.

We've examined what sort of impact Barlaser could have at the Riverside and whether it's a move worth making...

Is it a good potential move?

This would be a fantastic bit of business from Boro.

Barlaser is one of the most underrated midfielders in the division, in my eyes, and it's no surprise that one of the Premier League era's most underappreciated deep-lying playmakers, Michael Carrick, is keen to sign him in his first window at Boro.

Jonny Howson is not going to be around forever and the Rotherham midfielder would be the perfect long-term replacement for him.

His contract situation means that the Teessiders could end up getting a real bargain too.

Would he start?

He should do but Carrick could also look to rotate him and Howson to ensure neither gets burnt out in the second half of the season.

Boro will need the energy of Hayden Hackney or someone similar alongside him in midfield but Barlaser could pull the strings for them and help their forwards find some form.

What does he offer?

There are few, if any, better in the Championship at creating opportunities from the centre of the park – as his six assists (joint-highest in the division) already this term show.

Barlaser plays best in a holding midfield role with energetic players around him that can harry the opposition and burst forward when they turnover possession.

His numbers are outstanding when it comes to progressive passing and chance creation, as per FBREF, while he's a useful player to have at set pieces as well.

The 25-year-old is not a midfield destroyer but neither is he a liability defensively and his reading of the game means his often in the right place at the right time to extinguish opposition attacks.

Last year, he added a real goal threat to his game as well.