Middlesbrough midfielder Alex Pattison has extended his contract at the club. The club have confirmed that the English midfielder has put pen to paper on a one-year contract extension. The 20-year-old has now signed a new deal with the club which will keep him at the Riverside Stadium until the summer of 2019 with the option of an extra year. The Boro midfielder has put in some dazzling displays for the North Yorkshire outfit this season and has caught the eyes of many Middlesbrough fans.
Pattison graduated from the Boro academy and linked up with Aitor Karanka’s senior squad during the summer of 2016. In the early stages of pre-season, he found his name amongst the goal scorers as Middlesbrough secured a 2-0 victory at Doncaster Rovers. The Darlington-born player has still not tasted competitive football at the senior level with Middlesbrough. His career was derailed after he picked up an injury earlier in this campaign, only to return and feature for the Under-23s, before being loaned out to York City in the National League.
The youngster earned The Press Player of the Month Award for his remarkable displays for York City in December, and another loan move could be lined up so that he can continue with his development by playing senior football on a regular basis.
Middlesbrough are currently in 9th place in the English Championship with a total tally of 45 points after 30 league matches. They are six points behind sixth-placed Bristol City, who occupy the final playoff spot. The Boro boss Tony Pulis is trying to build for a bigger and better future as they look to push on and secure a playoff place in the final stretch of the campaign. The extension of Alex Pattison’s contract at the club could undoubtedly bolster Tony Pulis’ midfield options in the coming seasons if the youngster can keep up with his development and break into Middlesbrough’s first-team in the near future.
Pattison has featured in 6 matches for Middlesbrough Under 23 this term but is yet to find the back of the net. He has a lot of potential and might develop into a future star at the Riverside Stadium. At 20, he still has a lot of time on his hands to develop his game and become ready to take a step up to the next level.
It remains to be seen what lies ahead in the future of the young English midfielder and whether he can make an impression on the Boro first-team in a few years time.
