Monday 17 April 2017 19:09, UK
Middlesbrough's Ben Gibson has enjoyed a standout season. Ahead of his team's Monday Night Football clash with Arsenal, we assess the centre-back's impressive displays...
Middlesbrough may be in the relegation zone but they've conceded fewer goals than Arsenal this season. That stat highlights the tough task facing the Gunners at the Riverside on Monday Night Football as they look to bounce back from last week's disappointing defeat to Crystal Palace.
Marshalling that mean backline will be 24-year-old Ben Gibson - the ever-present academy product shining despite the struggle for survival.
Gibson's form for Boro this season earned him an England call-up last month, replacing the injured Manchester United defender Chris Smalling in Gareth Southgate's squad.
The national team boss, who worked with Gibson when he was in charge of the Under-21s, praised the player's leadership qualities, while former Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka picked him out as someone with the potential to become a star.
"He can get to the very top, he can be there," said Karanka. "He can be a top team central defender, if he keeps doing the same things."
So what's Gibson doing well? This radar graph above shows how he compares to the average Premier League defender.
His big numbers for blocks and clearances is a result of Boro being on the back foot but the 10 clean sheets he's secured for his side have given the north-east outfit a platform to build on.
Only four Premier League players have played more than 2,000 minutes this season without making an error leading to a shot. Gibson is one of them, along with Cesar Azpilicueta, Robert Huth and Winston Reid, demonstrating his reliability.
However, another impressive aspect of Gibson's play is his distribution. The centre-back's passing accuracy of 85.14 per cent ranks him among the top 10 of the Premier League's first-choice defenders.
That combination of both defensive and ball-playing skills has led to reports suggesting he could attract interest in the transfer market this summer. Arsenal, who have shipped at least three goals in their last five away games, could certainly do with similar resolve.
For now, though, Gibson's focus is firmly on helping his boyhood club retain their Premier League status. He was on form in October when Boro earned a goalless draw at the Emirates and Gibson will be aiming for another shutout on Monday.
