Factfile: Nathaniel Mendez-Laing [MFC]

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Factfile: Nathaniel Mendez-Laing | Middlesbrough FC

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Born in Birmingham, Nathaniel is a product of the Wolverhampton Wanderers Academy, progressing at a similar time to Sam Morsy.

An England Under-16 and U17 international, Nathaniel made his professional debut for Wolves in a League Cup win over Swindon Town at the age of 17, and was awarded man of the match.

The winger got his first taste of regular football on loan with Peterborough United in 2010/11, playing 40 games and scoring five times as Posh were promoted to the Championship.

He returned to Peterborough on a permanent basis in 2012, and scored on his second debut away at Burnley.

Loan spells with Portsmouth and Shrewsbury Town followed, but Nathaniel was back in Posh colours - alongside Britt Assombalonga - for the conclusion of the 2013/14 season as they reached the League One play-offs.

In August 2015, Nathaniel joined Rochdale in a permanent deal. A month later, he scored his first goals for the club with a hat-trick in a 3–1 victory over Swindon Town in the second round of the FA Cup. His first league goal for the club followed shortly after in a win over Port Vale.

Having reached double figures for goals in his first season, Dale extended Nathaniel’s contract for a further year. He repaid their faith by getting double digits again in 2016/17 as Rochdale narrowly missed out on a spot in the play-offs.

In May 2017, Nathaniel joined Cardiff City in the Championship. He was due to join another club, but Neil Warnock persuaded him that the Bluebirds was the right fit.

He scored his first goal for City on August 8 in a 2–1 win over former club Portsmouth in the EFL Cup. The winger was later named the Championship’s Player of the Month for August, following a further four goals which helped Cardiff to win their opening five league matches for the first time in their history. Warnock was also Manager of the Month.

Despite a month out with injury sustained in a Severnside derby with Bristol City, Nathaniel made a total 42 appearances in all competitions for Cardiff in 2017/18, helping them win promotion to the Premier League, as they finished the season as runners-up.

Awarded a contract extension at Cardiff, Nathaniel made his first Premier League appearance on the opening day of the 2018/19 season.

He missed three months of the campaign with a knee injury, but scored his first top flight goal in January 2019, against Arsenal. The wide man also scored twice in a 2-0 away win against Manchester United that May.

Nathaniel’s two games against Boro have each yielded an assist, the winger on the winning side with the Bluebirds against us in 2017/18 and last season.