Mikel to help Besic thrive – Middlesbrough boss

by Graeme Jackson

Monday Feb 25, 2019. 10:00

Middlesbrough manager Tony Pulis is backing Nigerian John Obi Mikel to help the bring best out of teammate Muhamed Besic at the EFL Championship club.

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.