Middlesbrough have further boosted their attacking options by adding Aston Villa forward Samuel Iling-Junior on loan.

The 21-year-old had been on loan at Bologna in the first half of the season but made just four starts in all competitions, none of which were in Serie A. Despite that, the exciting winger scored in the Italian side’s Champions League win over Dortmund last month and was recalled by Villa in order to send him to Boro where they hope he’ll play more in the second half of the season.

Iling-Junior is a versatile forward, capable of playing on both wings, while he’s also previously played wing-back and ten as well. He arrives to further bolster Michael Carrick’s attacking options, having already brought Morgan Whittaker to the club this month too.

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Iling-Junior is an England U21 international and the London-born star started life in Chelsea’s academy before moving to Juventus in 2020. He excelled in their youth ranks before becoming a regular first-team player last season before being used in a deal in the summer that saw Douglas Luiz move in the opposite direction.

Iling-Junior’s arrival at Boro came as a surprise to many given the attacking options Carrick already had at his disposal. With Whittaker signed and Marcus Forss recently back to fitness, Boro also have Ben Doak on the right, Finn Azaz as an attacking midfielder and Delano Burgzorg and Riley McGree on the left. McGree has struggled for fitness throughout the season though, and Alex Gilbert has joined Charlton Athletic on loan.