MARCUS TAVERNIER is delighted to be playing in a more central role under new Middlesbrough manager Chris Wilder – and is determined to be more of an attacking influence in the remainder of the season.

Tavernier played in a myriad of different positions under previous boss Neil Warnock, with a large amount of his time spent stationed on the wing.

Wilder has moved the 22-year-old infield, and he produced one of his most effective displays of the season as Boro claimed a 2-1 win at Huddersfield last weekend.

Tavernier is set to continue playing centrally when the Teessiders host Swansea City on Saturday, and feels his new responsibilities play to his strengths.

He said: “I feel like this manager has really put me in a position I enjoy playing most, and where I feel like I can be most effective. Now, it’s just time for me to get the role nailed down in my game, and start contributing more higher up the pitch.

“When you’re in the middle of the pitch, you’ve got a lot more responsibilities and roles to carry out. That’s why you’re in the centre. Hopefully, I can start doing that in my game and helping the team.”

By playing in a more central attacking-midfield position, Tavernier should be able to make more of an impact in the 18-yard box, and the academy product admits a solitary goal against Blackpool is a poor return from the opening four months of the season.

He said: “Should I be scoring more goals? Definitely, for sure. It’s something I’ve got to work on, and I maybe feel like I just need to relax more when I’m in front of goal. I know that once I start scoring, it will just keep continuing going on.

“It’s something we’ve talked about as a team. We know we need to score more goals to get promotion. You can’t just rely on your strikers – us as midfield players need to contribute when and where we can.”


* Read a feature-length Marcus Tavernier interview in tomorrow's Northern Echo - and online tomorrow morning.