NEIL WARNOCK did not have many bad things to say about Marcus Tavernier. ‘Tav’ was one of the former Middlesbrough manager’s favourites, with the 22-year-old’s energetic running and comfort in possession endearing him to a paternalistic boss who became something of a father, or even a grandfather, figure during his time on Teesside.

There was one element of Tavernier’s personality, however, that Warnock was always adamant he would not miss. “I’ve never known someone whinge so much,” he mused during one of his early-season press calls. “I know that everything’s alright with the world if I walk through the door and Tav’s whingeing.” Fair? Or an undeserved slight on the midfielder’s character?

“I never used to see it,” said Tavernier, with a grin on his face. “I really didn’t agree with him, but then on Tuesday in training, I realised that we were playing in an eight-a-side game and maybe I had lost my head a bit.

“I was shouting and screaming and losing my head, and I realised that maybe he was right a bit after all. Maybe I do need to calm down a little bit. Maybe I’ll have to start thinking about a bit of therapy if everyone thinks I’m whingeing too much.”

Maybe, although once the red mist has cleared, Tavernier readily accepts he cannot have too many complaints about the way in which his career is panning out.

It didn’t always look that way for the Leeds-born midfielder, who was released from Newcastle United at the age of 14 while his elder brother, James, now the skipper of Rangers, continued in the junior ranks of the Tyneside club.

At the time, the rejection stung, but Newcastle’s loss turned out to be Middlesbrough’s gain, with Tavernier making the short trip down the A19 to join the academy at Rockliffe Park.

Within a couple of weeks of joining Boro, the aspiring playmaker felt at home, and while it is easy to think of Tavernier as a youngster still finding his feet in the Teessiders’ first team, the reality is that he has been associated with the club for longer than any other member of the squad aside from former academy team-mate Dael Fry.

The depth of the bonds he has forged matter, and while plenty of his academy peers have struggled to carve out a professional career, Tavernier takes justified pride at the way in which he has climbed up the ladder to become a first-team regular with the club that offered him a lifeline while others decided to let him go.

“I’ve been here almost a decade, but I can still remember those first few days really well,” he said. “In my age group, there was Ben Liddle, who’s at Bristol Rovers now but has gone on loan to Queen of the South. There was Mitchell Curry too, he’s gone over to Fort Lauderdale and has just signed a professional deal with Miami.

“There’s a couple of lads from right at the start playing non-league – Jack Lambert is at Darlington now – and it’s nice to keep in touch. Once I started moving up, there was the likes of Dael Fry, Harry Chapman –it’s nice to keep in touch with the lads that have gone on and done well.

“They’ve been a big part of my journey, and this will always be my club. From the first moment when I got released at Newcastle, as soon as I came to Middlesbrough and saw the building and the rest of the coaches and lads, I knew I felt welcomed. I felt part of it straight away, and within a couple of weeks really, it felt like my home. As I’ve grown older, it’s just got deeper and deeper in my heart.

The Northern Echo: Marcus Tavernier

“That won’t change. No matter what happens in the future, Middlesbrough will always be the club that made my career. They made me into the player I am today, and also developed me into the person I am too. It’s silly to think I could ever forget a club like this. It’s been such a massive part of my life.”

As a result, whenever Tavernier is made aware of speculation linking him with a possible move away from the Riverside, he takes it with a pinch of salt.

His mother, Bernie, tends to get excited about any social media speculation, and given her West Yorkshire roots, she went into overdrive last month when stories emerged linking her son with a possible January move to Leeds.

Tavernier has seen and heard it all before – he was heavily linked with Burnley a couple of seasons ago and has also been persistently mentioned as a long-term target of Leicester City – and while he readily admits he would like to play in the Premier League, his dream is to achieve that ambition with Boro.

“I’ve seen the Leeds stuff, but only because my mum has been telling me about it,” he said. “That’s all I know. She tells me what’s flying around out there, but it really doesn’t interest me. I’m a Middlesbrough player and my only focus is getting into the play-offs and winning promotion with us.

“I want to be a Premier League player, but my dream is to do it with Middlesbrough. I’ve come through the academy here, and I want to win promotion with Middlesbrough and play in the Premier League with this club. I’ve seen so many things here as a kid since growing up – hopefully, I can be part of something that would be really special.”

To achieve that this season, Boro will have to build on the promise they displayed in last weekend’s 2-1 win at Huddersfield. The victory at the John Smith’s Stadium was the first under new boss Chris Wilder, and showcased the kind of high-tempo, front-foot approach the former Sheffield United manager wants his players to adopt.

The Northern Echo: Middlesbrough's Marcus Tavernier celebrates the win after the Sky Bet Championship match at the City Ground, Nottingham. Picture date: Wednesday September 15, 2021.

“I think the demands of what he wants from the players and the intensity he wants from training are clear,” said Tavernier. “You can see it’s a lot different. It’s a different way of playing. Every manager has their own style, but I think this is suiting the team in a better way. Hopefully, we can show that on the pitch, like we did in the last game.”

So, having had such a close relationship with Warnock, how has Tavernier found the change of boss? Is Wilder an arm-around-the shoulder character like his predecessor, or is he more likely to eschew the carrot for the stick?

“I think he can do a bit of both,” he said. “I’ve only seen the nice side at the moment – I haven’t seen the kick up the backside side yet, hopefully I’ll keep on avoiding it. I think both the last two managers like high standards, in terms of your work rate and your discipline, that’s a given both in the building and on the pitch.

“Everyone’s got their personal relationship with a manager, whether it’s good or bad. Whoever you’ve been with, you build up relationships, and obviously mine with the old gaffer was really good. I’ve got nothing but nice words to say about him.

“But now I’ve got older, and I’ve been with a few managers, I’m used to things moving on. When you’re younger, it’s harder to deal with, but it’s part of the game. You’ve just got to move on with it. It sounds harsh, but you’ve got to put the past in the past and move on with what the new chapter is. Hopefully, that new chapter’s going to be really exciting.”