Middlesbrough have sent Hayden Coulson out on loan to the Scottish Premiership for the upcoming 2018/19 season. The 20-year-old will be joining up Alan Stubbs’ St Mirren following their promotion from the Scottish Championship. Speaking to the St Mirren press, Coulson said, “It’s my first loan so I was desperate to grab the opportunity. I’m very excited to get started and hopefully I can prove something.”
The Boro youngster will be looking to extract the most out of his time with the Saints. He is a versatile presence on the pitch with a lot of qualities as a pacey wide man. As explained by Stubbs himself, Coulson is capable of covering the entire left-flank. “He’s been with England all the way up the ranks and even though this is his first loan he is someone who has a lot of potential. Fundamentally he is a left-back, but he gives us the option of playing him as a wing-back as well. We’re delighted we’ve managed to capture the signing as there were a few teams in for him.”
Coulson has been a regular starter for the Boro U23 squad throughout the 2017/18 season, making 18 appearances in the Premier League 2 (out of a possible 22) and delivering with 2 goals and a single assist, helping his team to the semi-finals of the promotional playoffs. He had also featured for the club’s preseason games in Portugal last year and has 10 caps for England’s U16 and U17 sides.
The Gateshead-born fullback in the early part of his career has the instincts of an attacking minded player as he showcased in the recent past. He was a part of the Boro U19 squad that took part in the UEFA Youth League and went up against the likes of Reims, Torino, Dynamo Kiev and Paris Saint-Germain.
He has also played in the Checkatrade Trophy against senior teams and is slowly developing into a top talent in the Boro youth ranks.
Read More: Swansea City Linked With A Move For 25 Y/O Middlesbrough Striker: The Right Man For Potter?
For now, Tony Pulis has players like Marvin Johnson, Stewart Downing, George Friend and Fabio to cover the left flank. However, the path towards more senior team involvement is not the toughest for Coulson either, as offensive minded fullbacks are increasingly growing in value especially in defensive systems such as Pulis’. Only time will tell whether his time at Scotland turns out to be a success.
