Middlesbrough's Sol Brynn or Seny Dieng dilemma with 'dominant presence' verdict given

Michael Carrick will face an interesting selection dilemma on Friday evening when Middlesbrough take on Burnley, with Seny Dieng back in contention after missing Boro's last three through illness.

In the number one's absence, academy graduate Sol Brynn has deputised, making his Championship debut at Oxford and following up that assured performance with two more against Blackburn Rovers and Hull City last week. Though the youngster didn't keep a clean sheet in any of those games, he did more than enough to justify keeping his place in the team.

That said, Boro face a real step-up in opponent when they travel to Turf Moor on Friday evening, and with Dieng having the extra experience of such big games, it will be intriguing to see whether Carrick keeps faith with the young star of the future or restores his previous first-choice to the Boro side.

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That was the question we posed to our fan panel this week: Who would you start in goal? Our panel this week consists of Youtuber and talkSport journalist Phil Spencer, Boro Breakdown co-host Dana Malt, Boropolis co-founder Chris Cassidy and Twe12th Man member John Donovan.

John Donovan

While I think that Sol Brynn hasn’t done a great deal wrong after deputising for Seny, my thought is that Dieng is our first choice keeper and should start against Burnley. Sol will have gained valuable experience and has shown Carrick that he is an able stand-in should Seny have another injury or illness or a drop in form.

It’ll also, hopefully, show Seny that there is real competition for the No 1 jersey, and, as has been shown, competition for places helps motivate players. Sol is young and has time on his side, he could, quite soon, make that jersey his own.

Chris Cassidy

Sol Brynn certainly hasn’t done himself any harm in the last three games. He made a game-changing stop on his league debut at 1-1 and has looked comfortable and assured both claiming crosses and starting attacks.

However, Boro’s number one is Seny Dieng, and if he’s available, he should be in the team. Only illness has kept Dieng out of the team, and prior to his absence, there was little to no discussion about giving Brynn a run of games.

Understandably, everyone has to get their chance somehow, but Friday night is a huge game for Boro, and Dieng knows Michael Carrick’s way of playing inside out. He knows when to put his foot on the ball and invite pressure, but also when to clip it into an area for whichever forward leads the line.

That said, it wouldn’t concern me at all if it is to be Sol Brynn. As mentioned, he’s done himself no harm during his appearances this season, and Seny Dieng is now going to have to maintain the type of levels that won him so many plaudits last season to justify any decision that Carrick makes to bring him straight back into his starting eleven.

Phil Spencer

I believe that Sol Brynn deserves to keep his place in the team. Having been waiting for his moment I think that he's grasped the opportunity with both hands and really showed why he's so highly rated by Michael Carrick and Middlesbrough.

Seny Dieng has been our number one goalkeeper but in my opinion he's far from irreplaceable. Brynn is a dominant presence between the sticks and he's showed that by putting in some very reassuring performances. As well as showcasing his shot-stopping ability, Brynn is very, very quick off his line and that has got us out of a few scrapes in the last couple of week - my anxiety levels have certainly reduced since Dieng came out of the team!

Brynn has done very little wrong during his time in the team and with no major shortcomings I think it would be incredibly harsh for him to lose his place once Dieng is available again. As a homegrown academy player and someone who is still growing and developing, I think that now could be the time to put our faith in Brynn as our number one to allow him to become the goalkeeper that he's already showed himself capable of being.

We're blessed with some good goalkeeping options and if Brynn comes up short then you know that Dieng and Tom Glover will be breathing down his neck, but for now it's time to back one of our own and see how he gets on against some of the Championship's bigger hitters. Burnley and Leeds will be a very different challenge to the ones he's faced so far, but he's earned the chance to show if he's up to it.

Dana Malt

It’s a bit of six and two threes with this, I feel. It has been great to see Sol Brynn come in and not look out of place whatsoever. I’ve enjoyed his quick distribution (when not restricted by opposition blocks) and the big moment at 1-1 against Oxford where, prior to knowing it was offside, he clawed the ball from Mark Harris’s control when one-on-one. But even with that, he’s not been tested much, so just how good is Sol Brynn?

With Seny Dieng, Boro have their number one, and it can be like playing with fire when you play around with different keepers, so whoever Michael Carrick opts for, I feel like he has to back it and stick with them.

If I was to lean towards one of them, it would be Dieng. It’s not because I rate Dieng highly; in truth I think he is fine. It’s more that I know that he is fine at this level, whereas with Brynn, I still feel like there’s a lot to learn about his current level and where he should be playing. A talented goalkeeper, clearly. But ready for the cut and thrust of festive Championship football? I still don’t know.

As well as hearing their views on particular Boro topics on Teesside Live each week, you can also hear from them further on their respective platforms. Phil Spencer runs his own Youtube channel which you can subscribe to here. Dana Malt is part of the Boro Breakdown Podcast, Chris Cassidy is part of the Boropolis Podcast, and Jamie Dalgarno is a mainstay on the Twe12th Man Podcast, all of which you can listen to on all major podcast outlets.