A LOT has been made of the impact of Middlesbrough losing so many key players in the summer but there is one star from last season who hasn't been too badly missed - thanks to the fact his replacement has settled on Teesside so quickly and impressively.

It was Boro's attackers who dominated the headlines last term as Michael Carrick's side so impressively charged up the Championship table and came close to winning Premier League promotion, but one of the most important players in the eyes of the head coach was goalkeeper Zack Steffen.

The Manchester City loanee was the last line of Boro's defence but also, crucially, the starting point of so many attacks. Yes, the goalkeeper's job is ultimately to prevent the other team from scoring but it quickly became very clear after Carrick's appointment last year that the head coach wants more than that from his No.1.

Carrick places great emphasis on his keeper being as comfortable in possession as his outfield players so, in the words of the head coach, Boro have an "extra kind of attacking weapon".

That's why replacing Steffen with the right goalkeeper was absolutely pivotal in the summer. And Seny Dieng looks to be exactly that.

Boro may well be still looking for their first clean sheet of the season but Dieng has settled in well since his arrival from QPR and looks an ideal fit for Carrick. He had his best game so far for the club on Saturday, making a string of fine saves against Watford.

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“He’s done so well Seny, and he’s getting better all the time," said Carrick.

"He’s developing connections with the back four and those relationships are so important. It’s not always easy to just step into a new team and carry on as you are. You need to understand the players that you’re playing with and I think he’s improving all the time.

"He had to make some big saves for us on Saturday. He’s obviously there for that, but still it’s good to see him doing that because there will always be times throughout the season where we need him to do that. He came for a couple of crosses really well too, and you can see he’s gaining that presence and confidence as he’s growing.

"Obviously a big part of it is his work with his feet as well. He showed that on Saturday in starting the attack for the second goal. It all comes from him with his distribution and it’s clear how big a role he plays for us."

Explaining the importance of Dieng's distribution, Carrick said:  “For us, we feel it’s an extra kind of attacking weapon and having a keeper like Seny is an extra kind of string to your bow. It’s an extra player on the pitch who can play with the ball and is comfortable to do so. It gives you an extra player in possession, which is something we believe in and like to use.

"It’s certainly not play at all costs, but it’s certainly our preference and Seny has fitted in so well with that. Tom [Glover] and JJ [Jamie Jones] as well, they can all do that and they’ve all fitted in so well. We’ve got our principles and how we want to play and we try to stick to that."