Kevin Phillips backs Will Lankshear to fire Middlesbrough’s promotion push

Will Lankshear could prove to be the missing piece in Middlesbrough’s promotion push, according to Kevin Phillips.

The former Southampton and England international striker was impressed by the 21-year-old’s dramatic late winner against Lincoln City on the opening weekend and believes his physical presence could finally give Boro the focal point they have been looking for.

Lankshear scored 11 goals during his loan spell with Oxford United last season before making the £10m switch from Tottenham Hotspur to the Riverside this summer – and he has already hit the ground running.

He opened his account against Wrexham in a 1-0 Carabao Cup first-round victory before his brace against the Imps last Saturday.

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Lankshear the missing piece?

Under Kim Hellberg, Middlesbrough are a side who like to dominate possession and create plenty of chances, ranking fifth in the Championship for expected goals and sixth for big chances last season (FotMob).

However, what they arguably lacked was a striker capable of turning that supply into a regular stream of goals, with Morgan Whittaker their top league scorer on 14, closely followed by Tommy Conway on 13.

Asked whether Lankshear could be the missing piece capable of delivering a 20-plus-goal season, Phillips, speaking in an exclusive interview with BestBettingSites.co.uk, said: “I think the Middlesbrough fans and the hierarchy are hoping so.

“He couldn’t have got off to a better start, could he? Scoring a late winner, he’s certainly gone down now as folklore at Boro.

“He’s got a good frame about him; he’s six foot two, so he is that target man that Middlesbrough have been looking for, because they’ve got good players in wide areas; they’re just looking for that number nine.

“And he looks like he’s going to suit that and fit right in there.”

Millwall ready for another promotion push

Phillips is also backing Millwall to challenge near the top of the Championship again.

Alex Neil’s side opened their campaign with a 2-0 victory over Bristol City, although they played against 10 men for a large portion of the game.

Phillips believes the Lions have the experience and attacking quality to compete once again.

“They’ll be up there, 100%,” he said. “Alex Neil knows what he’s doing.

“They’ve got that pedigree of doing it. They’ve got that experience now of the campaign last year.

“And they’ve still got some really, really good players. They’ve got Josh Coburn up top and Femi Azeez, if they’ve managed to keep hold of him.

“So they’ve got players that can score goals.”

Morgan can be West Brom’s next star

West Bromwich Albion’s Jimmy-Jay Morgan is another player Phillips expects to make a big impression this season.

The 20-year-old left Premier League giants Chelsea this summer to sign for the Baggies following a decent loan spell at Peterborough United lasts season,

Morgan scored twice on his debut in the Carabao Cup against Rotherham United before grabbing the winner against Norwich City last weekend.

“Jimmy-Jay Morgan has got absolutely massive potential,” said Phillips.

“The West Brom fans I speak to are so excited about what they saw in pre-season.

“A bit of an unknown quantity, wasn’t he, when he came, but he certainly stood up, got a goal at the weekend, turned out to be the winning goal.

“They love him already, and he’s exciting.”

Read the full exclusive interview with Kevin Phillips for BestBettingSites.co.uk HERE

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