Chris Wilder felt it was ‘great’ to see Folarin Balogun score with England U21s in the break, but urges the striker to repeat it with Middlesbrough during his loan transfer from Arsenal.
The Boro boss has set Balogun the challenge of matching his youth international exploits in the Championship, via quotes by The Northern Echo. He struck three goals over two games for the Young Lions as they beat Andorra and Albania in Euro U21 championship qualifiers.
Balogun’s efforts broke the deadlock against Andorra before his brace helped beat Albania 3-0 last month. Yet the 20-year-old had only scored twice over 12 second-tier appearances before joining Lee Carsley’s side. And carried his form back to Teesside to net on Saturday.
Middlesbrough returned to domestic action by beating Peterborough 4-0 on the road with Balogun scoring their second. He could have scored before the break, too, were it not for a last-ditch clearance. But he would net a much harder effort to boost their play-off desires.
Mikel Arteta will be keeping close tabs on Balogun’s performances with Middlesbrough on loan from Arsenal. The New York native only featured for 133 minutes over four outings in north London this season. He also only started two, including one Premier League, games.
Boro boss Wilder hails Arsenal gem Balogun for ‘great’ England U21s successes
Balogun starting and scoring for England in March pleased Wilder, but the Middlesbrough boss wants his Arsenal loanee to now deliver consistently in the Championship. Boro are currently sixth and in the play-off spots, but hold a place on goal difference to Blackburn.
“To score goals and play both games when there is big competition there at the top of the pitch for the Under-21s is great,” Wilder said. “But he also understands the challenges ahead of him here.
“I know he’s done a couple of interviews and talked about how much he’s enjoying it here and how much he’s learning. The biggest thing now is how he does on the green bit on a Saturday and a midweek night. I’ve got every confidence in him.”
Wilder also praised Arsenal’s Balogun and Brighton prospect Aaron Connolly for wanting to test themselves in a new setting by joining Middlesbrough in a mid-season loan transfer.
“I’ve known about Flo for a long time and Aaron at Brighton, as well,” he added. “It’s not always the easiest and I think it says a lot about the boys as characters. Too many young boys stay in a comfortable position, whereas they wanted to get out of their comfort zone.”
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