A poignant reminder of what might have been this season ...

MARTEN de Roon’s derby-winning toe-poke was a clear sign of what might have been for the Boro.

While the whole of Teesside was naturally delighted to see Steve Agnew’s men complete the double over Sunderland, there is still a feeling of having locked the stable door after the horse has bolted.

Boro’s overall lack of enterprise and expansive football, allied to dismal performances against the lower sides, has cost them dear.

The one thing the Teessiders have lacked all season is penetration from midfield.

That is why de Roon’s match-winner against the Black Cats was as poignant as it was productive.

Nobody would think of criticising the graft and hard work put in by most of the incumbents in the centre of the park. This particularly applies to Adam Clayton, whose committed approach has been outstanding.

However, you cannot get away from the fact former boss Aitor Karanka was happy to pack his squad with defensive-based, no-nonsense midfield scrappers.

Yet this approach is not typical of Premier League teams.

It has been pretty obvious during the campaign virtually every other team has fielded at least one attacking player in the centre of midfield.

Even relegation-threatened Swansea City have a massive presence in this area thanks to ubiquitous Icelandic international Gylfi Sigurdsson.

He is as hard-working as any of the Boro men but also makes things happen in and around his opponents’ penalty area. That is why several Premier League

clubs will be queuing up to sign Sigurdsson if the Swans go down. Sunderland also displayed much more movement and threat in midfield against Boro, even if there was no end product.

It would have been interesting to know what might have happened if Karanka had opted to play Stewart Downing in the Sigurdsson role season.

Unfortunately, it is all wishful thinking based on hindsight.

This was hammered home by de Roon’s goal which indicated what might have been achieved with a bit of midfield panache. all

De Roon’s clinical strike against Sunderland was his fifth goal of the season and made him the club’s joint second top scorer alongside Cristhian Stuani.

That is not bad for a player who was brought in as a defensive midfielder and who did not previously possess a goalscoring record of any significance.

Grant Leadbitter is Boro’s only other orthodox central midfielder with goals to his name. The club’s skipper has scored three, including one penalty.

In the past, Adam Forshaw was often the midfielder elected by Karanka to enjoy a little bit more freedom around the pitch.

However, Forshaw is still awaiting his first goal of the campaign, which indicates de Roon might have been utilised to greater effect in the final third of the field.

De Roon won his first international cap for Holland earlier this season. No doubt the next Holland manager, once appointed, will take note of his goals record and run the rule accordingly.

Whether de Roon wins his second Dutch cap with Boro remains to be seen. As reported in the Sunday Sun last week, Watford are believed to be watching the midfielder and may make a bid if the club is relegated.

On the face of it, de Roon was quite an expensive signing when Karanka paid £12m to bring him in from Italian side Atlanta.

Even his sudden ability to score goals may not be enough to help Boro recoup that kind of fee if clubs come knocking during the summer.

If de Roon stays put next season then maybe there will be a need for the Boro manager – whoever it is – to consider giving the Dutchman even more freedom.