Middlesbrough boss Tony Pulis has made a surprise admission about the future of key defender, Dael Fry's future at the promotion chasing side. 

Boro are currently 2nd in the Championship table and are just two points adrift of Norwich City who currently occupy top spot.

Fry has been at the heart of the impressive start to the season for Pulis' side and has already made 12 appearances for Middlesbrough.

His good start to the season has seen him linked with the likes of Premier League giants, Liverpool, and Boro fans face a nervous wait to see if the Reds will renew their interest in the defender when the January transfer window reopens.

In a recent press conference, Pulis revealed that he doesn't expect Fry to step up to the Premier League anytime soon.

"I've worked in the Premiership and Dael is not ready yet.

"Dael could be anything. He could be anything and play anywhere."

But the Middlesbrough boss thinks that Fry's lack of game time in the early stages of his career could be a potential stumbling block in Liverpool wanting to pursue a deal for the young centre-back.

"He's quick, he's strong. The problem with Dael, if you look, is the number of games he's played compared to what he should have played. It's the same with Tav and Wingy. I know Wingy went to Yeovil last year and they did a fantastic job with him.

"We've got some good kids here and they'll have their chances."

Middlesbrough travel to Deepdale to face in-form Preston North End on Tuesday in what could be a potentially tricky fixtures for Pulis' side as they look to strengthen their grip on the automatic promotion places.

The Verdict: 

Tony Pulis' latest comments have certainly come as a surprise, as I would think that Fry could thrive under the management of Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.

Klopp has a habit of giving the best young English talent a chance in the Liverpool first-team, and Fry would be confident of establishing himself in the first-team set up at Anfield.

But Middlesbrough fans will be hoping that Fry can stick around at the Championship club and help aid their promotion bid this season, with a weight of expectation on Tony Pulis' shoulders to deliver promotion for Boro after a lengthy spell out of the top-flight.