It's hard not to feel sorry for George Edmundson right now.

The defender was enjoying a really positive season on loan at Boro, so much so that Michael Carrick is keen to make him a permanent signing this month. He'll be available on a free transfer in the summer, but such has been his impact on and off the pitch since his loan move to the Riverside, Boro decided to try and negotiate a deal with parent club Ipswich Town to make it a permanent switch right away.

With two Boro bids turned down by Ipswich though, the Tractor Boys then decided to recall Edmundson on Tuesday afternoon - just hours before an important match against West Brom. It's understood the recall coincided with the deadline for the recall clause, with the Premier League club notifying Boro on Monday that it was a possibility. As such, Carrick picked his team for the West Brom game with the potential Edmundson would be unavailable in mind. Though it didn't end up being costly for Boro, as they beat their top-six rivals 2-0, you can understand the frustration on Teesside for such a potentially disruptive move.

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Forget all that side of it though, more than anything, the biggest issue here is a wider football issue in general - the way in which footballers are treated like commodities and financial assets, with the fact that they're human beings like the rest of us too often a secondary thought.

Don't get me wrong, in a difficult financial climate for all clubs, of course players are commodities. They're well paid for their troubles and are potentially valuable to clubs who are in possession of their ownership. But the protection and welfare of the man behind the contract should always be in consideration. It's hard not to feel that element is completely disregarded in this decision on Edmundson from Ipswich.

Let's not pretend a big part of Boro's model isn't in viewing players as assets. But there's a moral responsibility never lost at Boro, which guides many decisions along the way. Examples include agreeing to mutually terminate Caolan Boyd-Munce's contract early to allow him to explore other opportunities, and also allowing Matt Crooks to leave last February when an offer unexpectedly arrived from the MLS. They handled Emmanuel Latte Lath's situation with sensitivity and understanding of the Ivorian's point of view when, ironically, Ipswich waited until the very last day of the window to make a move. Boro's unwillingness to sell almost caused the Suffolk side to pull the plug on Edmundson's loan deal back then too, before a late change of heart.

The centre-back has struggled for game-time at Ipswich for the past two years. Not in their plans after promotion to the Premier League, he was loaned to Boro for the season with just 12 months remaining on his contract at Portman Road. Taking advantage of Boro's early-season injury-crisis, he quickly established himself as a popular and important player at the Riverside in the first half of the campaign.

For Boro, the dilemma now is how high they go to try and get Edmundson back when they can just wait for the summer and try again when he'll be a free agent. Their first offer rejected was believed to be worth £350k , which would double if promotion was achieved. With Dael Fry back fit after nine months out and Boro uncertain how much they have to spend due to the Emmanuel Latte Lath situation, centre-back doesn't feel like a priority.

That ultimately means Edmundson now finds himself in limbo. Having played for Ipswich at the start of the campaign, the only options are re-signing for Boro this month or remaining at Ipswich until the end of the season where he'll be unlikely to feature. You have to feel for him.

So what is Ipswich’s reasoning? The sake of trying to get a couple of hundred thousand extra out of Boro. For a Premier League club earning the money they are this season, it's a decision that feels lacking in regard for Edmundson the man over the footballer.

Even if they ultimately relent and the centre-back returns to the Riverside either in a permanent or re-negotiated loan, at what expense? He would have been almost certain to play on Tuesday, and might miss up to two more games before the situation has a resolution. In the meantime, others have a chance to cement their places. It just feels like an unnecessary decision.