While the future of Henry Onyekuru may be cast in doubt, the direction Muhamed Besic aims to take has become a little clearer thanks to an interview with the Mirror.
The midfielder has been discussing with them the memories and emotions he carries from starting life in Germany as the son to a refugee family, after his grandparents fled his native Bosnia in the late 1980s.
Besic is now aiming to make a stand for friendship and tolerance in a time other families are being forced to leave their homes for a brighter future, like he has had to.
“I know how it is for them because my family came from Bosnia to Germany,” Besic said, at a football tennis event with a team of refugees. “I know it is a difficult start for them. I spoke to their team manager and he says they are nearly all settled into England, at college and with jobs. So they are good, it could be worse.
“They [his Grandparents] told me it was difficult to find work at the beginning. I imagine now it is more difficult to get jobs. This is life, good times and bad times.
“But they have been in Berlin almost three decades now and have built a good life, and contribute. You have to respect everyone, even people who don’t have the same background as you.”
For his own future, though, that does not appear to be on Merseyside, as Besic alluded to the idea of staying on at Middlesbrough beyond his loan there.
“I like the atmosphere here,” he added. “The stadium is special. I would love to play here in the Premier League. The players work hard. It is like a family club, and there are not many like that.”
Perhaps his hesitation in returning to Merseyside has something to do with the change in managers we have gone through since he last held a regular spot in the side, as Roberto Martinez played a large part in his move from Ferencvaros.
“After the first game in the [2014] World Cup against Argentina, I knew I was moving,” he claims. “Roberto Martinez, the Everton manager was the commentator on the match for the BBC. After this, I knew I’d go there.”