Clinton Morrison has praised ex-Arsenal striker Chuba Akpom who has become a ‘real threat’ at Michael Carrick’s Middlesbrough in the Championship.
The Sky Sports pundit highlighted how Akpom was ‘always scoring’ coming through at Arsenal, but he just couldn’t make that step up into the senior side, before he eventually was sold by his boyhood club in 2018.
It has been some journey for the 27-year-old because he has been all over Europe in order to find a home for himself, including playing in Greece and Belgium.
But now Akpom is cooking in England’s second tier under the stewardship of Manchester United legend Michael Carrick, who is pushing for promotion to the Premier League.
Akpom has 16 goals from 23 matches, with Boro sitting in the play-off places – both Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Jesus have a total of nine goals between them in the Premier League this term.
Nonetheless, former Crystal Palace forward Morrison was full of praise for Akpom and how he has picked up his career of late, as he told Sky Sports News (04/02/23 at 1:00 pm).
“I think Carrick has found some sort of key,” said Morrison. “When he was a youngster at Arsenal, he was always scoring goals as he was coming through.
“He didn’t make the step up. Went to a lot of other clubs and different countries to play football. And now it looks like he has found a home at Middlesbrough.
“He is getting in there and he is scoring goals. He is a threat for them. Causing them all kinds of problems.
“What they have got is they have got a front three that cause problems. Chuba Akpom. They have brought in young Archer from Aston Villa and Forss, who used to be at Brentford. You have to credit Michael Carrick.”
IS AKPOM PREMIER LEAGUE BOUND?
When the London-born forward was a youngster, there was a lot of expectations on his shoulders.
Many thought he would come through and make a name for himself under Arsene Wenger. But he just couldn’t take that next step.
Well, in terms of playing on the Premier League stage, the all-action forward is the closest he has ever been. There is every chance he gets promoted with Boro, or a team in England’s top-flight signs him up in the summer because, during the January transfer window, the likes of West Ham, Everton and Southampton were all tracking him.