MARTIN PAYERO is back in training at Middlesbrough’s Rockliffe Park base, and will be given the chance to stake a claim for a place in Michael Carrick’s first-team squad next season.

The Argentinian midfielder returned to his homeland to join Boca Juniors on a season-long loan last July and enjoyed considerable success with the Buenos Aires-based club.

He helped Boca win the Argentinian Primera Division title in 2022, and was also heavily involved in the 2023 campaign, that currently sees the club occupying a mid-table position in the top-flight.

Payero made ten appearances for Boca during the current campaign, scoring four goals, but while his temporary employers had the option to make his loan deal permanent, they opted against such a move and sent him back to England.

The clause in the loan deal was an optional one, with Boca understood to have agreed a price of around £5m for the 24-year-old, but it has now expired meaning Payero is back on Boro’s books.

The midfielder initially joined the Teessiders from another Argentinian club, Banfield, in the summer of 2021 for a reported fee of around £4m, but failed to establish himself in Boro’s first-team ranks.

He made 14 senior appearances in the 2021-22 season, six of which were starts, but was unable to hold down a first-team spot under first Neil Warnock and then Chris Wilder.

Wilder deemed him surplus to requirements last summer, hence his return to Argentina, but it remains to be seen whether Carrick takes a different view of his ability to cope with demands of the English game.

Both Warnock and Wilder felt Payero lacked the physical intensity required in the Championship, but Carrick’s tactical approach would appear to be a much better fit with his skillset.

He has returned to training with the rest of the first-team squad at Rockliffe, and has been undergoing a series of physical tests to ascertain where his fitness levels are currently at following his spell back in South America.

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Given his limited time on the training ground, and the fact that he was not involved in last week’s pre-season training camp in Portugal, he is unlikely to feature in this weekend’s friendly double-header with Hartlepool United and York City.

However, he is expected to appear in a pre-season game at some stage, with Carrick willing to give him a chance to show what he can do ahead of the new campaign.

All options remain open at this stage, meaning Payero could find himself as a first-team player with Boro next season or could be sold or loaned back out again if Carrick does not feel he can contribute effectively.

Payero has one more year left on his current Boro deal, meaning there could be a temptation to sell this summer if Carrick and the rest of the coaching staff do not feel there is a realistic chance of the midfielder being part of the club’s long-term plans.

Middlesbrough Under-21s played their first pre-season game on Tuesday evening, going down 3-2 at the hands of Northern League side Bishop Auckland.

A youthful Boro side featured players from the Under-18s and Under-16s, and was completely devoid of players with first-team experience, and Under-21s head coach Mark Tinkler with pleased with their efforts, with Fenton John scoring both of the Teessiders’ goals.

“Bishops are a big, strong side as you would expect, and I thought our young players did well,” said Tinkler. “It was a good experience for them, and they will learn from it.”