THE season has not even started yet, but Middlesbrough new boy Ryan Giles already feels as though he has been handed the toughest task he will face in the whole of the next 12 months – taking on Isaiah Jones in training.

Giles has been thrust into Boro’s left wing-back slot since joining on a season-long loan from Wolves, with Chris Wilder regarding him as the ideal complement to Jones on the opposite flank.

The pair form a marauding wing-back duo that will be crucial to the way Boro operate this season, but while they might be part of the same team on a matchday, they have already come up against each other on a number of occasions on the training pitches at Rockliffe Park.

Wilder has actively encouraged the head-to-head tussle, and while neither player particularly relishes having to take on their opposite number, they both seem to be benefiting from the experience.

“I’ve played against Izzy in training a few times now, and it’s normally quite a battle,” said Giles, who will make his competitive Boro debut in Saturday’s Championship season-opener against West Brom. “To be honest, I have noticed that the gaffer seems to like putting us up against each other – maybe he thinks we’ll test each other out a bit.

“I can’t say I enjoy playing against him too much to be honest, so goodness knows how the opposition defenders must feel. Hopefully, he’d say something similar about me! He’s a fantastic player, a real talent – hopefully, having two speedy wing-backs going at it all season will stand us in good stead.”

With Wilder set to stick with the 3-5-2 formation he adopted last season, Boro’s wing-backs will once again find themselves playing a pivotal role in the Teessiders’ tactical game plan.

The fact that Wilder was willing to sanction the sale of Djed Spence to Spurs underlines how much faith he has in Jones on the right-hand side, and Giles was always his number one option to fill the same slot on the left.

The 22-year-old impressed during last season’s loan spells with Cardiff City and Blackburn Rovers, with his pace, energy and creativity marking him out as an ideal fit for the modern template of an attacking wing-back.

“If you’re playing with a three at the back system, then your wing-backs are vitally important,” he said. “You’ve got to be able to get up and down the pitch, you’ve got to be able to create, but then you’ve also got to be able to defend.

“You’ve got to do your job in both boxes, and I think the importance is probably accentuated if you’re playing that three at the back system, like we are here at the moment. I get the privilege to play in that role, and hopefully I’ll make a success of it.”

Boro signed off their pre-season schedule with an impressive 2-0 win over Marseille last Friday, with Jones opening the scoring at the start of the second half before Marcus Tavernier also found the net late on.

Wilder freely admits he would have liked to strengthen his attacking ranks ahead of Saturday’s tea-time showdown with the Baggies, but Boro have been in decent shape throughout the pre-season programme and Giles is confident he and his team-mates are ready to hit the ground running this weekend.

“Pre-season has been great,” he said. “The trips away, having a week in Portugal, that always helps as a new player coming in. You get to socialise with the boys, and get to know them a bit more. Then when you build those relationships, they come onto the pitch.

“You saw what we’re capable of on Friday night. We played one of the best sides in the French First Division and beat them, so I think we can be really optimistic.

“I think we can be really excited by what we’ve got in the dressing room already, and then if we get any more additions before the transfer window closes, that’s obviously great. On a personal level, I’m more than excited and think we’re more than ready with what we’ve got in the dressing room at the moment.”