'Something to prove' - Middlesbrough boss Neil Warnock signs Nathaniel Mendez-Laing six months after Cardiff City sacking
The former Bluebirds winger was axed on the eve of the season after what the club has described as a serious breach of contract
Tuesday 2nd February 2021
Ex-Cardiff City winger Nathaniel Mendez-Laing has joined up with Neil Warnock at Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough boss Neil Warnock has signed ex-Cardiff City winger Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, five months after he was sacked by the Bluebirds.
The Welsh capital city club rocked its fan base with a bombshell statement on the eve of this Championship campaign when they announced Mendez-Laing's contract had been terminated.
While the club have never gone into detail, then manager Neil Harris stated that it was because of a "serious breach of contract" but he was "bound by legal protocol" not to divulge anymore.
It is not the first time Mendez-Laing has left a club under a cloud.
No links can be drawn between his Bluebirds departure and his mysterious exit at Peterborough back in 2012, but it is certainly noteworthy.
At the time, Darren Ferguson's Peterborough United fined and transfer listed Mendez-Laing and three others over a "breach of club discipline". Although he was eventually taken back in by Posh.
But Warnock has now given the 28-year-old another chance, signing him on a short-term deal until the end of the season.
Warnock was the man who brought him to the club on a free transfer in the summer of 2017. He flourished in the division and helped the club gain promotion to the Premier League, where he notably scored two goals on the final day of the season in a 2-0 victory over Manchester United.
He is certainly a player Warnock knows well and given the five-month hiatus and the mysterious circumstances surrounding his exit, the manager said he now has something to prove.
NEIL WARNOCK:
“I know Mendez well and he’ll give us an added dimension," the Middlesbrough boss said.
"It’ll be couple of weeks before he’s match fit but it’ll be great to have him for this run-in now.
“We have been short of wide players and he is a player with something to prove. We’re looking forward to having him here.”
Mendez-Laing scored 14 goals in 92 appearances for the Bluebirds.
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