Emnes excited by Alves

Middlesbrough new signing Marvin Emnes admits he cannot wait to line up alongside record signing Afonso Alves as he attempts to make his way in English football.

The 20-year-old Sparta Rotterdam striker saw at close hand how dangerous the Brazilian, Boro's record signing at £12.7million, can be during his time in Holland with Heerenveen.

But after completing a £3.2million switch to the Riverside Stadium Emnes is desperate to learn from the older man and said: "He is a big player and I believe I can learn a lot from him. To be able to play next to a player like that can only improve me."

He added: "Since I was a young boy, I have always dreamt about playing in a foreign competition like the English one or the Spanish or the Italian.

"The more I got to know the English competition, the more I got interested in it.

"The most important thing for me this season is to get to a level and be able to compete with any other player, to play a lot of games and play as many minutes as I possibly can."

Emnes is expected to be used as a right-sided winger by manager Gareth Southgate, although he can also play on the left or through the middle and cites Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo as a role model.

He said: "I love Cristiano Ronaldo, just for the way he plays and also because he plays in the same position I do. He is an explosive player."