Rob Edwards has set out his transfer vision at Middlesbrough, hinting that the club will lean even heavier into the younger player profile for new signings.

While the new Boro head coach insists that, above all else, he wants players who suit the way he wants to play regardless of age, he admitted that the intensity and energy required will naturally lend itself to younger players. He also pointed to the fact he and his coaches Adi Viveash had strong backgrounds in youth player development.

Boro were already understood to be well down the line with planning for this summer’s transfer window before Michael Carrick was sacked and replaced by Edwards. Those plans were paused slightly and featured in the process of hiring the new boss. Edwards described himself as aligned with the club’s strategy in his unveiling press conference.

Asked about summer recruitment and the kind of players Boro might look for, Edwards said: “I think if they’re the right player and the right fit, then to me it doesn’t really matter whether they’re 32 or 22. That being said, football is still a business, and the way we want to play, you’ve got to be athletic. You’ve got to be able to run.

“That probably matches a bit more with the 22 or 23-year-olds than maybe the older ones. I don’t want to label that at everyone, because if they’re the right person and the right player, and we think they can help us, then it kind of doesn’t matter on the age.

“But for a business and how you really need to be in this day and age, then I think it makes complete sense to be working with younger players. If you look at the three of us that have come in, our background has largely been around working with younger players, some of the best youth players in the world. We’ve shown we can help develop them, so that’s pretty exciting as well.”

Speaking further in a fan question and answer video, when asked where he wants to strengthen this summer, he said: “There is a bit of a narrative around, ‘it’s got to be young players’. Great, if they are, but above all else, just the right people. The right people that we think will help and improve us.

“The way we want to play, I want good football, and I want us to be exciting, playing with intensity. But I also want us to be really good in duels and do the basics really well. Players who can do both sides of the game is really important as well. Good people too, who fit into what we see as being the right culture for Middlesbrough.”

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