“Brilliant player” Aidan Morris back playing key role in Middlesbrough promotion push

Middlesbrough is fully in the EFL Championship’s promotion race this winter and the return of American midfielder Aidan Morris has provided Kim Hellberg’s squad with a big boost.

Morris missed one month from November to December due to a lingering ankle injury, but has since returned to his starting role in the squad. The former Columbus Crew midfielder has started in each of Middlesbrough’s last six matches across all competitions, helping Boro earn four league victories over that span.

Despite Rob Edwards’ move to Wolves last fall, Hellberg has kept Boro on track in the top-two race this season. Middlesbrough sits three points behind league-leading Coventry City after 29 matches played and are five points clear of third-place Ipswich Town in the race for automatic promotion back to the English Premier League.

Morris has already totaled 62 appearances for Middlesbrough since his transfer from MLS in July 2024, remaining a reliable starter for the club. Hellberg may have only worked with Morris for close to two months but had ample praise for Morris’ work rate and abilities as a leader in his squad.

“He’s a brilliant player, and I think he’s a very funny person,” Hellberg said in an interview with Teesside Live. “He has an attitude of always wanting to do things to perfection. I like him a lot. He’s very unique in his way of playing – he wants the ball all the time, he’s brave on it and he’s quick in pressing. He’s quick on the ball and off the ball, and especially over short distances where he’s so quick to press.

“He’s a very nice player and a very good person to work with,” Hellberg added. “He will challenge you because he looks at the way he wants to play, he wants to be active, always wants to solve things. I love those types of players because he’s like, ‘what should I do here’ or ‘what do you think about this?’ It becomes good talks with him in tactical meetings.”

Morris and Middlesbrough will aim to extend their winning run to five matches in league play when Norwich City visits the Riverside Stadium on Saturday.