MIDDLESBROUGH have handed a first professional contract to talented teenage winger Charlie Lennon.

The 17-year-old from Spennymoor, who has been on Boro's books since he was nine, has signed what is an initial two-year deal.

Lennon, an England youth international, has made around 50 appearances for the Under-18s since and has also stepped up to feature twice for the Under-21s.

After impressing in the youth ranks, Lennon has also trained with Michael Carrick's first team squad.

READ MORE:

Boro's academy players regularly get chance to join in with first team training, which Carrick believes can be extremely beneficial for the youngsters.

He explained recently: "It’s great for them to train with the squad and see for themselves what the standard is. Talent is always a big thing, of course. You have to be able to cope, for sure. But as well as that, it’s the attitude and how you behave and look after yourself around the group. That’s very important as well.

“It’s not particularly easy to judge when they’re ready. I’m not speaking about anyone specifically here, but sometimes you can be a player who looks nailed on. They’re coming through the system and everyone thinks, ‘that’s the next best player for the first team’. But sometimes, until you actually get that chance to train with the first team and make that step onto the pitch, it’s not easy to judge how they’ll handle it.

"Talent and ability is fantastic to have, but you’ve got to be able to handle it and cope in that situation."

Carrick is also keen to hand youngsters first team opportunities if he feels they deserve it and they're ready. Several academy players have featured in matchday squads this season, with Sonny Finch named on the bench for the weekend draw with Blackburn after his return from injury.