Connor Barron has done in weeks at Middlesbrough what he never managed at Rangers

Connor Barron's stay with Middlesbrough may soon turn into a success story despite rumours of an early return to Rangers.

The Bears allowed the midfielder to join the EFL Championship side on a season-long loan ahead of the English summer transfer deadline.

The Gers signed several players to bolster their options in the middle of the park in the summer, including Vanja Dragojevic, Dan Neil and Cammy Devlin.

That's not to mention that Derek McInnes already had the likes of Nicolas Raskin and Tochi Chukwuani at the club, as space opened up for Barron to leave.

There has been lots of noise regarding the 24-year-old's move to Boro, as he's struggled to get into Kim Hellberg's matchday squads so far.

However, the tide could soon be turning, and Barron's early return to Rangers may have just taken another twist.

Connor Barron achieves Middlesbrough first before Rangers

Barron has been backed to return to Rangers in January, with many questioning why the Light Blues let him go in the first place.

The former Scotland international had featured in just one matchday squad in September for Middlesbrough in the same month that he joined the English side.

However, since the resumption of club football after the international break, the former Aberdeen star has featured in all three of Boro's squads in the Championship.

The problem is, he is yet to make his debut.

Interestingly, The Northern Echo have reported that Barron played and scored for Boro in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Premier League side Newcastle over the international break.

He scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win, and it's understood that his overall performance impressed Hellberg and Co.

The scoreline of the game had been revealed days after the match by local media, though the player who scored the goal had been kept under wraps for weeks until now.

Barron has somehow already scored in Boro colours before he has for Rangers, and he hasn't even made his official debut for the Teessiders.

What is the current pecking order Barron faces at Middlesbrough?

Hellberg has called Barron's work ethic "exceptional", considering that he's yet to play a single competitive minute since leaving Rangers.

The Boro boss said: "For both Connor and Leo [Castledine], they've done a lot of good things lately on the training ground, and sometimes for a player it can be down to a little bit of luck.

"Both of them are doing everything they can on the ground."

USA internationals Sebastian Berhalter and Aidan Morris are currently ahead of Barron in the pecking order, while former Chelsea academy star Myles Peart-Harris continues to be favoured off the bench.

It's worth noting that £4.3million midfield summer signing Rokas Pukstas has yet to start a game for Boro, and Barron may just need to wait until injuries happen for his chance.

But if this doesn't happen before January, Rangers will surely consider recalling him to Ibrox.