Six of the Best: Players to feature for both Middlesbrough and Hull City

Monday Night Football sees fellow newly promoted Middlesbrough and Hull City go head-to-head in the Premier League at the Riverside Stadium tonight, with both sides desperate to kick-start their December with all three points.

The hosts, who drew 2-2 against defending league champions Leicester City last time out, are looking for just their third league victory so far this season.

Meanwhile the visitors, who have tasted defeat in seven of their last nine league outings, lie one point adrift of safety in the top-flight’s bottom three ahead of kick-off.

So, with just a point separating each team prior to 8:00pm, tonight’s clash offers a golden opportunity to pull away from the drop zone and inflict further relegation fears on their opponents.

But ahead of tonight’s kick-off, Shoot! thought it would be handy to look back and pick out six of the best players who have featured for both Middlesbrough and Hull City, including stars that could feature against their former club later this evening…

Nick Barmby

Not only did former England international Barmby play for both Middlesbrough and Hull City, but the 42-year-old also managed The Tigers between 2011-2012.

The ex-midfielder, who earned 23 caps for The Three Lions, started his career at Tottenham, before joining Boro in 1995, only to last 42 games, in which he scored eight goals, before moving onto Everton just a year later.

Liverpool, Leeds United and then a loan spell at Nottingham Forest followed, before Barmby ended his playing career with Hull, where he made almost 200 appearances between 2004 and 2012,

Ray Parlour

Ray Parlour. The Arsenal legend… Are you sure? Yes!

After starring for the Gunners between 1992 and 2004, where he won four FA Cups and three Premier League titles, the former midfielder left the North London outfit to join Middlesbrough in July 2004 on a free transfer.

The 43-year-old never scored again after leaving Arsenal, despite making 58 appearances for Middlesbrough, before moving onto Hull in February 2007 for a short stint, where he played a further 15 times.

Dean Windass

Middlesbrough and Hull City were just a small number of clubs that Windass featured for during his career.

Having come through The Tigers’ youth ranks, he was released by Brian Horton, before the former forward joined non-league North Ferriby United.

After impressing with his goalscoring exploits there, new manager Terry Dolan brought him back to Hull, where he became a firm fan’s favourite.

However, the club suffered financial difficulty and sold Windass for £700,000 to Aberdeen in 1995.

Following further spells at Oxford United and Bradford, Windass then signed for Middlesbrough in 2001, where he scored just three goals in 39 games, before moving on again to Sheffield United, where he had a successful loan spell beforehand.

But Windass was not done there!

The now 47-year-old returned to Hull in 2007, where he scored the winning goal in the 2008 Championship Play-Off Final at Wembley Stadium to send the Tigers into the Premier League for the first time in their history.

Gaston Ramirez

The first of two stars that could face their former club tonight.

Ramirez, 26, has had loan spells at both Hull City and Middlesbrough during his Southampton spell, for whom he joined from Bologna for a reported £12m back in August 2012.

However the Uruguay international netted just one goal in 22 appearances for the Tigers during the 2014/15 campaign.

The attacking midfielder then stuck with the Saints until January this year, where he joined Boro on loan until the expiration of his Southampton contract earlier this summer, before putting pen to paper on a permanent three-year deal at the Riverside Stadium.

Ramirez has netted eight times in 30 games for Boro since the start of 2016.

Brad Guzan

The second and final player who could face his former colleagues this evening – Brad Guzan.

The USA international kick started his English football career with Aston Villa in July 2008 after joining the Midlands outfit from Chivas USA.

However, the 32-year-old was loaned out to Hull in December 2010 for an initial month, before the deal was extended until February.

Guzan impressed for The Tigers, which is why Hull managed to re-sign the shot stopper again on an emergency loan in March, due to injury to Vito Mannone.

The American ace then nailed down a first-team spot at Villa Park until earlier this year, where Guzan joined newly promoted Middlesbrough on a two-year deal back in July.

Since then, the goalkeeper has kept one clean sheet in three appearances under manager Aitor Karanka.

George Boateng

And finally, who can forget ex-Netherlands international George Boateng?

Now 41-years-old, the former defensive midfielder starred for Middlesbrough and Hull City in back-to-back transfers, starting at the Riverside Stadium in 2002 following his £5m move from Aston Villa.

Boateng, who won four international caps for the Netherlands, won the League Cup with Boro in 2004, before appearing in the 2006 UEFA Cup final against Sevilla, where the La Liga side claimed victory (0-4).

After scoring nine times in almost 250 appearances for Boro, Boateng opted for a new challenge and signed for Hull in July 2008, where he would go on to net one goal in 56 games for The Tigers, before leaving the club following their relegation from the Premier League in 2010.