Middlesbrough caretaker boss Steve Agnew has said that the club missed the contribution of Calum Chambers when he spent a spell on the sidelines through injury.
Chambers - who is on a season-long loan from Arsenal - missed eight weeks between February and April at a time when Middlesbrough continued to struggle to get points on the board in the Premier League.
The North-East outfit are expected to be relegated before the end of the campaign, but Agnew says that the performance of Chambers has been one of the few positives from the season.
The 51-year-old told reporters: "He's been excellent. He's a top defender, but not only has he got great defensive qualities, he has a high level of technical ability.
"We've missed him [through injury]. He's versatile and can play at right-back or at centre-back."
Chambers has scored one goal from 23 appearances in all competitions for Middlesbrough.