Middlesbrough favourite George Friend on trial with League One …

George Friend is on trial at League One club Bristol Rovers as he looks to prolong his playing career following his Birmingham City release.

Friend, 35, spent three years at Birmingham after leaving Boro in 2020 but will officially be a free agent at the end of the week when his Blues contract expires. And seemingly not yet ready to hang up his boots, the Boro favourite is training with Joey Barton’s side, as revealed by our sister site Bristol Live.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Manager Joey Barton is looking to strengthen his squad this summer after they finished 17th in their first season back in the third tier. Friend would add experience and versatility to their backline if he can prove his fitness.

Friend is reported to have taken part in training with the Gas on Monday, which was the club’s first day of pre-season. He is said to be expected to stick around for the rest of the week at least, and he could even play a part in Friday’s friendly against Melksham Town.

A move to Bristol Rovers would signal a return to the South West for the Barnstaple-born defender, who came through the academy at Exeter City. He became a fan-favourite on Teesside, however, spending eight years at the club and playing just one game shy of 300 for the club in a spell that included promotion to the Premier League ^[5].

Speaking last year as he launched a scholarship in his name at Teesside University ^[6], he admitted that he would love to return to Middlesbrough ^[7] in some capacity one day. Exactly what he wants to do post-playing was not something he’d settled on at that stage, even though he was taking his coaching badges and taking sessions while at Birmingham.

Friend explained: “Coming back at some point in the future is definitely part of [my plans]. I wouldn’t say I want to be a manager or this or that. At this stage, I don’t know exactly what I want to do, but I’ll always be in contact with Middlesbrough and I’ll always want the club to do well, whether I’m part of that or not. I want the area to do well.

“I want to keep all of my options open really, rather than pigeonhole myself as just a coach or anything else. Of course, it has to be right for Middlesbrough as well if I ever was to return. They have so many talented people already working for them, so it’d have to be right in terms of where I’d fit in.

“If everything worked out for both parties, of course, it would be great to return in the future. But at the moment I’m unsure because I haven’t really thought too hard about post-playing just yet. I do appreciate I’m 35 now though, and it’s getting closer all the time.”

References

^{^} Friend, (www.gazettelive.co.uk)
^{^} Boro (www.gazettelive.co.uk)
^{^} our sister site Bristol Live. (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
^{^} George Friend feels he’ll forever be bonded with Middlesbrough and dreams of one day returning (www.gazettelive.co.uk)
^{^} Premier League (www.gazettelive.co.uk)
^{^} Teesside University (www.gazettelive.co.uk)
^{^} Middlesbrough (www.gazettelive.co.uk)
^{^} CLICKING HERE (www.gazettelive.co.uk)