Middlesbrough star gets 'what he fully deserves' thanks to dedication & desperation

MICHAEL Carrick believes Finn Azaz is reaping the rewards of leaving no stone unturned in his efforts to get the very best out of himself - which has resulted in his best run of form in a Middlesbrough shirt and a Championship award.

Azaz was this morning named the Championship's Player of the Month for November, deserved recognition after a superb month saw the former Aston Villa forward score five goals and register four assists.

Azaz beat Watford striker Vakoun Bayo, Norwich's in-form Borja Sainz and Millwall defender Japhet Tanganga to the award, to the delight of Carrick who is delighted to see his No.10 get the rewards for his dedication and displays.

"He's really focused and desperate to get the best out of himself," said Carrick.

"That can be a really good thing used in the right way. You can see he's desperate to do well with how he goes about things.

"He tries to make the most of every training session, he's working and looking at clips.

"He's trying to improve all the time. He has a fantastic attitude towards the game. He's doing really well."

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No Championship player has more assists than Azaz's seven and the 49 chances he's created so far this season is four better than his nearest rival.

The only league game Azaz hasn't started came against Blackburn when he missed out through illness, which highlights just how crucial he is to his boss.

"He's important because of his performances," said Carrick.

"We don't view him any different to the other boys but his performances have warranted that. That tells its own story of over a period of time the level he's been producing week in week out."

Azaz arrived in January on the back of a string of eye-catching displays on loan at Plymouth in the first half of the 2023/24 season. He quickly established himself as a key player in Carrick's eyes but there's no doubt he's found another level this season and he was sorely missed when he was absent in the recent Blackburn defeat.

"He's played consistently well over a period of time in terms of his level of performance," said Carrick.

"More eyes are probably on with the goals and final pass and assist, but performance wise he's been growing as he's been here. He's in good shape and he fully deserves his award."