Zack Steffen on why Middlesbrough move suited him and the long wait to get deal done

Zack Steffen is one relieved man after finally completing his loan move from Manchester City to Middlesbrough. Although well-known for some time now that he would be moving to Teesside, the deal has been frustratingly held up before it was finally completed earlier this week.

The completion of the loan allowed Steffen to watch from the stands on Tuesday evening as his new team-mates dominated in their penultimate friendly of the summer as they beat Morecambe 3-0. More positively for him personally, it should also allow him to make his first Boro appearance this evening, in the final run out before the start of the season proper, as Boro host Marseille at the Riverside.

The hold up in his season-long loan move from Manchester City was to do with work permit issues for the USA international goalkeeper. It meant he was stuck in his home country this summer training alone rather than even at City. But now happy to finally secure the move, the 27-year-old is hoping to quickly build his sharpness ready for the new season.

Middlesbrough complete goalkeeper Zack Steffen season-long loan deal from Manchester City

He said: “I’m glad to finally be here. It’s been a lot of waiting and taken a lot of patience, but now it’s finally here and it’s good to be here. It’s been a long waiting game, with the move in the offing for about a month now. I had some passport issues that I had to deal with and that meant I had to stay in the States and train alone.

“That’s just life. You have to roll with the punches. I got some good training in and tried to stay fit as best of possible. I feel pretty good. Obviously, sharpness and all that is going to come with more training and I am looking forward to that. I’m glad that’s all sorted now and I’m