Premier League clubs will undoubtedly be watching Dael Fry this season

There has been plenty of talk about a Premier League club swooping for centre-back Ben Gibson this summer after emerging as the best of an incredibly underwhelming bunch at the Riverside Stadium last season.

But any scouts watching Middlesbrough’s scoreless draw with Preston on Saturday may well have found their eyes more drawn towards the former England U21’s centre-back partner – 20-year-old Dael Fry, who celebrates his birthday today.

In what was just his 21st Championship outing to date, the 6 foot 3 youngster took a no-nonsense approach at the heart of defence, making a whopping 15 clearances while winning three huge tackles and blocking one effort at goal.

Of course, the England U20 isn’t the finished article just yet. Despite his size, he won just a single aerial duel on Saturday, while his passing accuracy was just 71%.

But Fry certainly didn’t shy away from the ball, completing the third-most touches of any Boro player, and perhaps most impressively for a defender so young, he also didn’t commit a single foul despite Garry Monk’s side making 13 overall.

It’s still a little too soon to suggest Fry is ready to test himself in the top flight, but Premier League clubs will undoubtedly be watching his progress over the course of 2017/18.

Do you rate Dael Fry? Think he can develop in to a top class Premier League star? Well why not see whether you can get the best out of the youngster by playing online football management game, KickOff Legends.