ALTHOUGH he played some part in every one of Middlesbrough's first 10 Championship games of the season, it's fair to say Delano Burgzorg didn't make an instant impact on Teesside.

But the summer signing now looks to have found his feet and is getting better by the week for Michael Carrick's side.

After that 10 game stretch of appearances, Burgzorg was then an unused substitute in three of the next four games.

But the forward forced his way back into Carrick's side and has now started five of the last six games he was available to play in. He missed last month's Blackburn defeat through illness and, like Finn Azaz, was sorely missed.

It might be a coincidence but of the last six games Burgzorg was available to play in, the only time Boro lost - at Leeds - was the one game when the former Huddersfield loanee was on the bench rather than in the starting XI.

He was back in against Millwall at the weekend and impressed as Carrick's side got back to winning ways.

“Della has done very well," said the head coach.

"He came in for the Luton game, and he’s had a good impact in the games that he’s played. He’s shown what he’s capable of.

"He’s different to the other players we’ve got in those kind of positions in many ways, with his style and what he’s good at."

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Burgzorg is competing with Riley McGree for the starting spot on Boro's left flank, with both players very effective but also different. That was part of Boro's thinking when they signed Burgzorg from Mainz 05 in the summer. His arrival was something of a surprise initially on the back of his underwhelming spell at relegated Huddersfield, but Boro watched him closely and felt he had the qualities to add another dimension to Carrick's attack.

"I think it’s important to have that flexibility and that variation," said Carrick.

"It’s a bit similar to when you’re comparing Manu [Latte Lath] and Tommy [Conway] – they’re both effective, and it’s very, very difficult to choose from game to game.

"They’re both equally as effective, but slightly different. Della has come in and shown what he can do, what his strengths are, and how much he can impact us and be part of the group for the rest of the season."

Carrick must now decide between Burgzorg and McGree and Latte Lath and Conway for Saturday's trip to Plymouth, where Boro are looking to build on their Millwall success.

Latte Lath scored the winner last time out and has four goals and two assists in his last eight appearances, leading to his agent Matthias Veneroso this week claiming in the Italian media that "we expect something to happen in January".

He said: "He is a striker and strikers are always the subject of attention in the January transfer window."

Speaking after the Millwall win, Carrick said: “Manu’s a good player, and we’re trying to build something here to achieve success (so we fought hard to keep him in the summer).

"The timing of certain things plays a part in that. It’s about taking chances. If you look at the game at the weekend, Manu took his chance really well.

"If you look at the Leeds game, then Ben [Doak] had his chance, but the goalie made a really good save, and they go down the other end and score. That’s football. It went for us at the weekend, and Manu took the goal ever so well."