AHEAD of the start of a new season, some players like to avoid making bullish claims about what they are targeting over the course of the following year. Not Riley McGree.

The Australia international committed his long-term future to Middlesbrough when he signed a new four-year deal earlier this summer, and is more than happy to stress that he does not want to spend that time in the Championship.

Having had a spell on loan at Birmingham City prior to joining Boro from MLS side Charlotte FC, McGree has never experienced life in the Premier League. Come the end of next summer, he is hoping to have put that right.

“The ambition is to get to the Premier League,” said McGree, who is heading into his third full season as a Boro player after joining the club in January 2022. “We’re extremely hopeful, and we’re extremely ambitious. We want to finish in a promotion spot, whether that’s automatic or play-offs. There’s no doubt about that. I believe in everyone here – bring it on.”

McGree has enjoyed a full pre-season programme this summer, and scored one of his side’s goals in Saturday’s 5-3 friendly win over Doncaster Rovers.

His return to full fitness has been a welcome one given that two major injuries restricted him to just 14 Championship starts last season.

He was forced to sit out the final two months of the campaign, and admits such an injury-ravaged season presented a series of mental challenges that had to be overcome.

“It was frustrating,” said the Australian midfielder. “There were some dark times towards the end, but I tried to keep as positive as I could, and then come back and work as hard as I can. I’m really grateful and happy to be back playing and scoring, and hopefully I can continue to build and put out some positive performances.”

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McGree was far from the only Boro player to suffer injury issues last season, with Michael Carrick’s squad being ravaged by problems at various stages of the campaign.

At various stages of the season, Boro were missing up to a dozen senior players, but while the scale of the absentee list created problems for Carrick, it at least ensured no one felt alone in the physio room.

“It helped,” said McGree. “You can feel quite isolated when you are injured, but having other players who, unfortunately, are injured as well does definitely help. It helps push you on, and means you have someone to compete against, I guess. It was quite good.”

McGree was pleased with Boro’s performance levels at Doncaster, even if the concession of three goals suggests there is scope for some defensive improvement ahead of the start of the Championship campaign.

Boro have two more friendlies before they host Swansea City in their opening league fixture – an away game at Harrogate Town on Wednesday evening and a home match against Dutch side Heerenveen on Saturday afternoon.

Pre-season results are largely an irrelevance, but McGree feels he and his team-mates have learned plenty from the games so far, with subsequent analysis revealing areas that have warranted special focus ahead of the real business beginning.

“It’s still pre-season, and it’s about building those connections with the other players on the pitch,” said McGree. “That’s throughout the pitch, from the back through midfield and on to the forwards. There’s been a lot of positives, and some things to learn from too.

“It’s about building minutes and that understanding as a team. There’s been a lot of positives to take (from pre-season) so far, but also a lot of things to build on. We’ve been looking to see where we can improve.”