The Moroccan playmaker has only made two cameos for Boro since his free transfer from Hibernian last month.
But his two appearances from the bench for the club has caught the imagination of supporters, especially after his eye-catching display at Millwall last weekend.
The 27-year-old took his bow just before the hour when replacing the injured Julio Arca and illuminated the New Den less than three minutes later.
He dribbled past two players to set up Scott McDonald to give Boro the lead. And, five minutes after the hosts had levelled, the former Hibs man superbly crossed for Leroy Lita to net the matchwinner.
The Boro boss revealed he is delighted with the impact made by his former prot?g? from Easter Road but insisted he should not be compared to former Boro favourite Juninho, who won a World Cup winners medal for Brazil in 2002.
I think that (flair) is what the team missed and that is why he is here, said Mowbray prior to his side facing Championship leaders QPR tomorrow.
We have a lot of hard working, industrious players and decent footballers, but there are times, as we'll find out this weekend when (Adel) Taarabt, (Wayne) Routledge, (Ishmael) Miller and (Hogan) Ephraim come to town with QPR.
Sometimes a little bit of magic dust can make a bit of difference. A little nutmeg and a twist and a turn in the right area can create a goal and Merouane brings that.
But there will be days when it will be too physical for him and he will be overrun and the little touches don't come off, as what happens with Taarabt. The kid can either be a matchwinner or gets brought off after 60 minutes.
That's what these players are about. You hope they have more good days than bad.
I signed him five years ago at Hibernian and enjoyed his talent there against the Old Firm. He could run the show sometimes against the big boys and hopefully that will happen here. Lets hope the fans will enjoy his talent.
But, as Mowbray made it known, Zemamma is far from the finished article and can equally frustrate as well as delight in equal measures. And the Boro boss warned supporters not to expect miracles from their latest acquisition.
He tends to hold onto it too long and try one trick too many when a simple pass will do, said the 47-year-old, who revealed Zemmama will start on the bench tomorrow. But he's 27 now and he's not a baby anymore. He's a man now and I hope that he can mature now and not over elaborate.
The top players don't do that.
You can watch Lionel Messi pass it when it's the right time and when it's right to beat four men he will do that. The best players know when to do the right thing.
Hopefully we will have a talent and he will get better.
He's had a couple of decent cameos so far. But we have to stress we do not have a world beater here.
Some people have mentioned Juninho. He's not Juninho.
He's a young boy with a bit talent and that's what our team has been missing. It is good people get excited about someone who can do a few step overs and a drag back.
He can become a fans' favourite though.
Source: Northern Echo
Source: Northern Echo