#4 Ben Gibson (Middlesbrough) – 23 years old
A Boro lad through and through, Gibson progressed through the Middlesbrough youth ranks to register himself in the first-team since 2013. The 23-year-old is one of only three players in Aitor Karanka’s team to play in every minute in the league this season.
A vital cog in The Boro backline now, he has also represented his country in all youth formats since appearing for the England u-17’s in 2009 and is touted as a strong contender to be a future England national team player.
While he is able to play either at left-back or centre-back, he is arguably more effective when he plays in the heart of the defence. Appearing over 30 times in each of Middlesbrough’s last three campaigns, the defender also helped his side to the best defensive record in the Championship last season.
