Middlesbrough has extended the contract of Brazillian fullback Fabio by 12 months. He was set to be a free agent in the summer but it seems like Tony Pulis has been impressed with the former Manchester United player and has handed him a contract extension.
The Teessiders are currently in with a chance to qualify to the top division when they take on Aston Villa in the second leg of the playoffs semi-finals. Pulis has done a good job since he joined in and he has made the team more defensively solid and organised. Boro finished fifth in the overall league table and their rivals for the playoff finished just above them at fourth.
Fabio joined Middlesbrough in the 2016 transfer window from Cardiff City and has managed 25 appearances in all competitions for them this season. However, quite a few appearances are from the bench and his playing time has been limited. His season was troubled as he was out with injury and has faced a stiff competition for a place from the English fullback Ryan Shotton. He was being linked with a move away from the club in the January transfer Window but his £3m valuation proved too much for the Brazillian outfit Botafogo.
He seemed to have won over his manager lately as he has made four appearances as a substitute in the last five games and had a good impact while he was on the pitch. He has scored 2 goals in that period and is expected to play some sort of part for his team in the playoffs semi-finals.
Fabio was touted to have a big future when he was with the Premier League heavyweights, Manchester United. However, he didn’t blossom as people expected and saw his career go downhill since he left Old Trafford. He even managed to represent his national side Brazil but is now certainly out of the reckoning for the past few years.
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Fabio’s downfall has been because of his costly errors at the back. He is good while going forward and is full of energy, however, he doesn’t concentrate enough and seems to lose his marker more often than not. His attacking output is also under question as he gets himself into good positions but isn’t able to deliver the killer pass in the final third. Nevertheless, he will be a good backup option for Tony Pulis and even has a good experience in the Premier League and that will certainly be required if Boro manages to win the playoffs.
