After his "awesome" experience at the World Cup with Australia, Riley McGree has returned to Teesside desperate to take Middlesbrough "back to the big time".
McGree was part of the history-making Socceroos side that reached the knockout stage of the World Cup for just the second time, coming up just short in the round of 16 against Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina.
The midfielder was back in Boro training at Rockliffe just three days later and says he's returned from the World Cup hungrier than ever and has quickly switched his focus from country back to club.
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"I realised I can throw myself around at the highest level and it made me a lot hungrier, not just on a personal level but here at the club to take us back to where we belong in the big time," McGree told Boro's website ahead of the resumption of Championship action this weekend when Luton Town head to the Riverside.
"It's an important time for us as a club, we want to keep climbing the table, keep making places, have a good Christmas and January and see where we end up after."
McGree was a vital player for Australia in Qatar, starting all four games and teeing up the only goal in the crucial 1-0 win over Denmark that secured progress into the last 16.
He said: "It was awesome, I'm really proud of what we did as a group.
"We had a great time, the experience was great, I learnt a lot and I'm hungry for more. We had great support from our nation, which you could see on the videos from back home.
"We are a real tight knit bunch, a brotherhood. That definitely helped us and was in our favour in the games and off the pitch too."
"I think I said (beforehand) we wanted to get out the group and get as far as we could. We gave it our all, left it all out there and were beaten by a good team in Argentina in the end."
Asked whether there was one particular highlight from his World Cup experience, McGree said: "Probably just walking out for the first time against France and singing the national anthem, knowing I was playing in a World Cup. It was a realisation moment and one that will live with me forever."
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