Middlesbrough manager Tony Pulis is hoping that the partnership between Super Eagles midfielder John Obi Mikel and Everton loanee Muhamed Besic will further push Riverside side to greater heights as they chase a return to the elite division.
Mikel who joined Middlesbrough from Chinese Super League side Tiajin Teda has been very impressive in the matches he has played so far with fans of the club optimistic that a return to the elite division is very imminent. Pulis is not only happy with the performance of the Nigerian captain but doing a good job on the pitch but also serving as a major motivator to other players.
Besic, who is on loan at the Riverside Stadium from Everton, showed his class this past weekend when he set up both goals in Boro’s 2-0 win over Queens Park Rangers.
Pulis was delighted with the performance of the Bosnian against the Hoops after he struggled to find form in earlier matches.
”I thought Besic was excellent in the first half, that was like him last year,” Pulis told reporters post-match.
“We’ve got to get him up to that level. There are 13 games left, that’s a lot of games.
“And if we can get Besic up to that level that he was at last year, him and John [Obi Mikel]…yeah, that’s an awesome pair in midfield.
“It might help him [Besic] that the two of them are close together; they both live next to each other now, so John might bring that out of him.”
Mikel, who played the full 90 minutes against QPR, has been partnered in central midfield by Besic in three of his five starts at the club thus far.
Middlesbrough will return to Championship action on Saturday 2 March when they play away to Wigan Athletic.
