Adama Traore was man-marked by Alan Hutton throughout both legs of the playoff semi-final and the Scottish full-back came out firmly on top.
Pundit Dan Bardell believes that fans can now put to bed the belief that selling the Spaniard was a mistake:
Finally can we debunk the myth that we made a mistake getting rid of Adama. He got found out over 2 legs. #avfc #utv
— Dan Bardell (@danbardell) 15 May 2018
Fans on Twitter pretty much agreed with the comment, although some believe the player’s talent may shine through eventually:
Never ever thought that , we got the better end of the deal
— Mike .K. (@uksupermike) 15 May 2018
People think he is good because:
A: He can run fast.
B: Came from Barcelona's academy.
C: Has a cool name.All this was fact when he was at Villa.
None of these make him a good footballer.
— Scott (@AVFC_Scott) 15 May 2018
* By a 33 year old Alan Hutton switching between RB & LB. (Not to talk Hutton down as he was strong over both games but still..)
— Kieran Hand (@kieranhand87) 15 May 2018
I don’t agree. We heavily man marked him and did a good job nullifying him, but with some good coaching he could be excellent.
— Michael Nott (@BillBones84) 15 May 2018
Sorry guys. I just see a player that runs around with his head down.
— Guy Bradley (@GuyBradley) 16 May 2018
His pace is worrying. But no end product – that’s about it I guess!
— Katie Jayne (@MissKatieJayne_) 16 May 2018
The guy can run superbly and scare defenders but his first touch and passing belong in the conference ..
— Justin Cox (@CoxJustincox) 15 May 2018
Yep totally agree ! Strong , fast ! No end product and can’t beat a man when marked by the Scottish Cafu
— Chris Cash (@chriscash1974) 16 May 2018
Always thought we got the better deal for this league, Albert was what we needed at the time, couldnt wait for Adama to develop
— Daniel Delaney (@danieldelaney88) 16 May 2018
Did anyone think we made a mistake? From day one anyone who knows anything about football knows we got best deal in Adomah/Adama swap. He's a poor man's Walcott…lightning quick but no football brain whatsoever
— Simon O'Regan (@SiORegan) 15 May 2018
Verdict:
The Middlesbrough winger does have frightening pace, but he rarely used it to good effect against us. Hutton used all his experience to nullify his threat, but he was ably helped by the wingers in front of him with both Albert Adomah and Robert Snodgrass tracking back well.
When Traore switched wings, it was good that Steve Bruce opted to ensure that James Bree wasn’t tasked with keeping the 22-year-old quiet. Our young full-back did pretty well on the night, but it was good to see the Scottish Cafu switching sides to keep an eye on the Boro wide man instead.