Loanee La Parra taking time to settle
Tony Pulis has now explained why. The 27-year-old Dutchman left Town for Teesside in the January transfer window having made only five Premier League appearances this season for former John Smith’s Stadium boss David Wagner.
Town were prepared to allow Van La Parra a Championship chance to get game time, but it hasn’t happened as was envisaged.
Van La Parra has been restricted to cameo appearances from the bench since his debut start, with the Dutchman yet to light up Teesside with the pace and creativity that prompted Pulis to make his move.
Pulis said he believes George Saville is the ideal man for the Huddersfield loanee to model himself on, with Saville having taken time to settle following his summer move from Millwall.
“I still don’t think he’s found his feet and that takes time,” said the Boro chief. “For some people it takes them a lot longer.
“It took Sav quite a while to settle in and he’s been fantastic over the last month, but it took us three or four months to get Sav up to speed with what we wanted and what we didn’t want.
“Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t.
“You can hit the ground running like John (Obi Mikel) has or you can be one of those players like Sav where it takes time.
“It’s not just about playing a game of football it’s about getting your life in order and everything else and this is what happens with the lads.”