GARRY MONK has spent his first couple of months as Middlesbrough manager stressing the importance of building a squad capable of withstanding the rigours of a season in the Championship. On the evidence of last night’s Carabao Cup second-round win over Scunthorpe United, he has successfully assembled one of the strongest units in the second tier.

Monk made nine changes from the side that lost at Nottingham Forest at the weekend, yet his second-string line-up produced Boro’s most polished display of the season so far. Even accounting for the limitations of their League One opponents, this was the Teessiders’ understudies proving they are capable of playing a leading part.

By his own admission, Monk is still learning about some of the players under his control, and he will have left the Riverside last night feeling assured that he has plenty of attractive options at his disposal.

Ashley Fletcher and Lewis Baker produced particularly eye-catching performances, both scoring their first Boro goals to add to Fabio da Silva’s headed first-half effort.

Grant Leadbitter provided a reminder of why he was so integral to Boro’s promotion success when they were last in the Championship, and while Sunderland continue to harbour a strong interest in their former academy product, it would surely be madness for Monk to sanction his departure ahead of next Thursday’s transfer deadline.

Leadbitter would walk into most Championship sides, and the same is true of Fabio and Adama Traore, who were promoted to the starting line-up for the first time this season, and Daniel Ayala, who returned to action for the first time since the opening-day game against Wolves.

At the other end of the experience scale, there were senior debuts for Connor Roberts, a full-back on a season-long loan from Swansea City, and Marcus Tavernier, an 18-year-old winger from Newcastle who has been impressing with the Under-23s, as well as a substitute appearance for Lewis Wing, who was playing in the Northern League with Shildon. All three will remember the occasion for plenty of years to come.

It was an especially important night for Fletcher, who has found first-team opportunities hard to come by since making a summer move from West Ham. The striker led the line with energy and agility all night, and linked effectively with those on either side of him. His second-half goal, which was Boro’s third of the night, was the icing on the cake, and helped him mount a compelling argument for an extended run in the first team.

Traore also found himself with a rare chance to impress under Monk, and with the transfer window due to close in a week’s time, the next seven days will no doubt witness plenty of speculation about the winger’s future.

At his best, it is easy to see why Barcelona were initially willing to stick with the 21-year-old because of his abundant natural talent. At his worst, it is equally simple to see why Monk appears desperate to sell him before the window swings shut. Often, as was the case midway through the first half, the two sides of his game are apparent in the same dribble.

A lack of end product has always been Traore’s Achilles heel, although he could hardly have been accused of wastefulness as he set up Boro’s opener from their first really threatening attack in the 18th minute.

His fleetness of foot completely bamboozled Scunthorpe full-back Conor Townsend, and after he stood up an inviting cross from the right-hand side, Fabio surged into the box to plant home a powerful back-post header.

It was the left-back’s first Boro goal, and came a minute or so after his defensive mistake almost enabled Scunthorpe to break the deadlock. Having fluffed his clearance from Duane Holmes’ cross, Fabio was relieved to see Josh Morris blaze over the crossbar from the edge of the penalty area. Moments later, the Brazilian was taking advantage in clinical fashion.

The goal was a fair reflection of Boro’s superiority from the outset, and with Leadbitter and Baker in complete control of the central area, it was no surprise to see a second arrive on the half-hour mark.

The two midfielders combined superbly to engineer it, with Leadbitter slipping a deft ball to release Baker into a pocket of space in the area. The Chelsea loanee opened up his body to create a shooting opportunity, and caressed a slick left-footed finish into the bottom corner. Schooled at the Stamford Bridge academy, the 22-year-old’s technical ability and comfort in possession were apparent all night.   

Hakeeb Adelakun fired over from distance as Scunthorpe mounted a rare foray forward, but Boro would have stretched further clear before the break had Tavernier not dwelled momentarily too long after Murray Wallace’s error afforded him a clear run on goal. The youngster should have got an early shot away, but instead dallied to enable Rory McArdle to make a last-ditch covering tackle.

It hardly mattered, as Boro’s third goal arrived ten minutes after the restart. It was every bit as attractive as the two that preceded it, and owed much to the tenacity of Ayala, who won possession close to the halfway line before feeding Fletcher.

The striker played the ball out to Tavernier on the left-hand side, before continuing his run into the area to enable him to side-foot home the youngster’s cross from the edge of the six-yard box.

Unsurprisingly, Boro’s tempo dipped markedly in the closing stages, and Scunthorpe, who were suffering their first defeat of the season, would have claimed a late consolation had Dimi Konstantopoulos not got down well to keep out Devonte Redmond’s downward header.