Morgan Whittaker is under a little bit of pressure to hit the ground running as Middlesbrough try to find a solution to their stop-start campaign.

With Tommy Conway just back from injury and Emmanuel Latte Lath moving on, Kelechi Iheanacho has big shoes to fill up front. Not only that but the gap must be filled well because Boro are not firing on all cylinders in attack.

We need everybody fully focussed for the Sheffield United trip to get the show back on the road. It would be a huge help to Boro's chances if Whittaker can quickly refind the form which earned him a place in the EFL Team of the Season last April. Things haven’t gone too well for him at struggling Plymouth this season but then I fully believe in Boro’s judgement and feel sure he will be a big player for the club in the future.

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In fact the opportunity for Whittaker to reform his former Plymouth partnership with Finn Azaz must be quite exciting. Whatever happens, Boro need to get themselves sorted quickly following the huge setbacks of late. They’ve clearly missed Conway, not just for his goals but also for his enthusiasm and committed approach all over the pitch.

Latte Lath’s exit is a blow and he will be a big, big loss. The signing of Whittaker shows beyond doubt that the club is fully committed to try to complete a top-six finish this season. It shows foresight, especially as Boro have not had much long-term comfort on the right wing, while he can add goals to the side too.

Delano Burgzorg can play as an orthodox attacker but the former Mainz man is faring pretty well on the left flank. I for one would prefer him to stay there. It’s great to see Marcus Forss back. The Finn is looking lively even though he is probably two or three games away from full match fitness.

Forss can also operate as a central forward. So at least we will not have to return to the dark days of last season when midfielders were being asked to play as strikers. The main thing the team needs at the moment is an injection of self belief. It must be as frustrating for the players as it is for the fans to see good chances go begging.

We had the false dawn in November with 15 goals in four games which implied that Boro had finally got everything together again. They haven’t been able to repeat those performances. Since then it’s been rather up and down, despite the fact that Boro are clinging on in the top-six race.

While the fans might be looking to Whittaker to solve the problem in the short term it’s vital that the team as a whole shows a marked improvement. Tactics might be crucial. With Ryan Giles getting his feet under the table and supporting Burgzorg, Boro should now be fully effective on both flanks.

In addition we need to see a little more from Azaz, who can be such a hugely influential player on his day. Maybe the arrival of Whittaker will help to bring a little more consistency from the Republic of Ireland international.

Boro do have a habit of playing some of their best football against the top sides. As Sheffield United are among the automatic promotion runners, then we can hope for a positive response.