Will Lankshear gave Tottenham Hotspur another reminder of what they let go at the weekend. The 21-year-old striker, sold by the Lilywhites in the summer, led Middlesbrough to a 3-0 win over Charlton Athletic at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday afternoon, keeping Kim Hellberg’s side top of the Championship.
Lankshear made it 2-0 shortly before half-time, chipping Arthur Okonkwo from close range. The former Spurs man ran onto a fine pass from Sebastian Berhalter, who had opened the scoring earlier in the half, and took advantage of the space behind the Charlton defence. In the 82nd minute he wrapped up the win, curling the ball into the top left corner from just outside the box with his supposedly weaker left foot.
The England Under-21 international joined Boro for an initial £8million, with a further £12m in performance-related add-ons. He now has 15 goals in 16 appearances in all competitions, firmly establishing himself as one of the country’s most exciting young strikers.
Since moving to Hellberg’s side, Lankshear has scored just one goal fewer than Tottenham have managed as a team. Had Jan Paul van Hecke not made it 2-0 for Spurs against Crystal Palace on Saturday night, the striker and his old club would be level.
Hellberg praises recruitment team
Speaking to reporters over the weekend, the Middlesbrough boss reflected on Lankshear’s start to the season. Asked by Teesside Live how Boro managed to sign him from Spurs, Hellberg credited the recruitment team.
He said: “To be fair, I think he watched us play, and I think it was more about Kieran [Scott] and everyone around that met him and talked to him. He had good control of the Championship and how we played.
“When I talked to him, you could feel he was so keen to get into it and wear the shirt, to get into the way we play. He could see himself doing so much good in it. So, fair play to him.
“That was a good decision, and, as a group and as a recruitment team, well done to all the personnel who worked very hard to get him here. He’s been brilliant, and he works very hard, and that’s what we want.”
Asked why Lankshear has settled in so quickly, Hellberg said: “He’s exactly the same boy who came through the doors some months ago, and that I meet every day.
“Always a smile on his face, except when he misses chances in training! He works very, very hard, he wants to improve, and he has a very good relationship with all the players in the group. When he wasn’t starting the game, he was very positive towards the other players.
“That’s how you build character. That’s how you build people who want to fight for you. That’s what he’s done, and I think that’s what the group I have is about.
“I have an exceptional group in terms of their attitude, how they work, how they look after each other and how they help each other, which is not always easy in modern football where players don’t tend to stay at one club. That is very important for us.”
Hellberg continued: “It helps to play in a team like ours. I don’t think many teams in Europe create more chances than us. He has unbelievable teammates around him who suit him very well in his role.
“He’s come here and is developing massively through the season. I think he was top from the first day in the box and in how he finished, but he has improved his quality in the run-and-turn game, which he was strong in today, and also in the pressing, which led to the third goal.
“It comes from massive pressing. He has taken big steps, and he works so hard every day to improve, and that’s what’s getting him here. But at the end of the day, having fantastic teammates who set it up brilliantly helps too.”
