Kim Hellberg is convinced that David Strelec will prove a big hit at Middlesbrough
David Strelec of Middlesbrough celebrates scoring(Image: Getty Images)
The best is yet to come from David Strelec according to Middlesbrough head coach Kim Hellberg, who is hoping his goal at Ipswich Town proves the catalyst.
Strelec hasn’t had the easiest of first seasons at Boro after a £6.5 million move from Slovan Bratislava last summer. His opener at Portman Road on Sunday was only his sixth goal of the season.
But his first season in England has been stop-start because of injuries, either side of which there have been flashes of the potential quality the Slovakian international can offer. Building on some positive overall displays of late, Strelec’s goal and overall performance at Ipswich was described by Hellberg as ‘phenomenal’ after the game.
“I’m certain [he can show more consistency],” Hellberg said. “We’ve seen him, but it’s also that difficult thing of he comes after four games I think in the season. Difficult move from Bratislava to here.
“I haven’t been in Bratislava, but I think there’s some difference between here and there. And then he’s had an injury, which is starting to go and now he’s getting on it again.
“I think that performance was very, very good. I see it in training all the time. For a striker, he’s very good at a lot of different things. And I think that performance was brilliant.
“I was very happy for him. I think he’s going to keep that up and he will be a big player for us and an important part for us over the last few games”.
In a boost to Boro, who have found goals hard to come by of late, Tommy Conway also scored on Sunday, marking the first time this season both their main strikers scored from open play in the same game.
Asked if it could boost both, and if the exciting thing was the that the best is yet to come from Strelec, Hellberg said: “Absolutely. You need those goals and to score against Ipswich away, which maybe is one of the toughest places to score goals, that will help. And for both of them [Tommy Conway too] to do it, with that performance also, is big.
“They were involved in almost everything. Tommy and David, I think both of them were brilliant. They worked very hard for the team and I think were involved in every chance we had in the game in some way. I was very happy to see that.
“You just want them to succeed because they work so hard all the time – every training session, every day they fight so hard for the team. So it made me very happy to see them scoring those goals, and hopefully they take that into the next games. I think they will and also keep getting into those positions that they did in the game.”
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