Emmanuel Latte Lath addressed his Middlesbrough exit for the first time as he posted a thank you message to the club and supporters.

The striker’s Boro exit was confirmed on Tuesday. He joined American outfit Atlanta United in a £22.5 million deal that is a club-record fee received for Boro, as well as an MLS incoming transfer record.

The move brings an end to 18 largely successful months on Teesside for the 26-year-old, who joined from Serie A side Atalanta. After initial difficulties adapting to the English Championship, Latte Lath would enjoy an excellent end to last season to finish as top scorer with 18 goals. And despite a tough start to this campaign, he departs mid-season as the current leader in the goalscoring charts with 11.

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Posting a video of his Boro highlights to his Instagram account, Latte Lath wrote: “Dear Middlesbrough family, It’s time for me to say goodbye! This is really hard for me to say, but thank you to everyone!! (the club, my team mates and most importantly you the fans).

“You made me part of this family, and it was easy for me to repay all this by giving 100% every time I stepped on the pitch! I want to finish by saying thank you for helping me grow, not only as a footballer but as a person! You will always hold a place very close to my heart.”

A number of Boro team-mates, including Hayden Hackney, Seny Dieng and Dael Fry replied to the social media post as they said their goodbyes. Dan Barlaser wrote in the replies: "What a player."