EX-MIDDLESBROUGH loanee Aaron Connolly has found his next move and is heading abroad to spend next season with Italian side Venezia FC.

After spending the second half of last season on Teesside, Connolly has been sent back out on loan by Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion to find game time in Serie B in Venice.

Connolly’s loan spell with Boro failed to bare a meaningful return with just two goals in 21 appearances for the club. The Republic of Ireland international was part of a cohort of strikers that struggled to find the net for the club as they finished outside the Championship play-offs.

After last season, Chris Wilder said: "From the loan player’s point of view, it maybe hasn’t worked out as they’d have liked. It’s been a difficult period for us on that one.”

After bursting onto the scene in the Premier League with the Seagulls scoring twice on his debut against Tottenham Hotspur, Connolly has failed to maintain similar heights to his game and will now be spending next season in the second tier of Italian football.

Brighton's Technical director David Weir said: "Aaron is in a position where he wants to play regularly, and this is a great opportunity for him to get games in Italy with Venezia. 

"There is no doubting his ability, which he showed when he came into the team, and he has shown at the very top level. 

"The challenge for him is to grasp this opportunity to continue his development, show consistency in his levels of performance and fulfil that obvious potential.”