Tony Pulis has already bemoaned the bloated size of the squad he has inherited at Middlesbrough and Garry Monk had so many options he was leaving players with Premier League experience out of matchday squads during his tenure. 

One man to frequently suffer was Adam Clayton, who was an integral part of Boro's rise to the Premier League and their subsequent (doomed) battle to survive in the top flight.

However, he found himself down the pecking order, with summer signing Jonny Howson and Grant Leadbitter given the nod.

The problem is that paired two box-to-box midfielders together, leaving a defence that Monk somehow turned from solid even in the Premier League to leaky and full of individual errors repeatedly exposed.

Clayton's positional discipline and reliable distribution were sorely missed and it is increasingly difficult to justify his continued exclusion.

Pulis has said he wants to trim the squad down and players who are not new arrivals might be at greater risk because the former Palace manager has said he will look at summer signings brought in for a "fortune" by chairman Steve Gibson out of respect.

Nevertheless, Clayton should be seen as indispensable - I would slot him in alongside Howson - which would greatly solidify the side and reassure Ben Gibson and Daniel Ayala, who have looked increasingly nervy at times this season.

The former Huddersfield man clearly loves the club and although there would be no shortage of suitors if Pulis did decide to cash in, Clayton should not be sold at any cost and should be reintroduced to reinforce Boro's spine as they look to finally launch a serious promotion push.

Boro fans - what are your thoughts on Clayton? Let us know in the comments below...