MIDDLESBROUGH held off competition from leading French clubs to the signing of Neto Borges, who has all the attributes to be a major success on Teesside, says head coach Michael Carrick.

The Brazilian full-back has joined for a fee in the region of £1.3m and signed a three-year deal with Boro.

It's understood Brest, who are in the Champions League this season, and Nantes were both keen on Borges when it became clear he was likely to leave Clermont this summer, but the 27-year-old was sold on the move to Boro.

He'll be at the Riverside on Tuesday night to watch his new side in Carabao Cup action against Stoke City.

“We’re really pleased to bring Neto in,” said head coach Carrick.

“He’s got good experience, he’s a good character, and he’s a very good addition to our squad.”

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Borges made almost 100 appearances for Clermont and captained the French side last season. Boro initially tried to sign him 12 months ago but at that stage Clermont weren't playing ball.

But after their relegation from the top flight last term and with Borges having moved into the last 12 months of his contract, talks resumed this summer when Boro were forced to prioritise the capture of a left-back after Alex Bangura suffered a serious injury in pre-season.

Borges started out in his homeland before moving to Europe and playing in Sweden and Belgium.

The left-back is the sixth senior new arrival at the Riverside this summer, with Boro having also signed highly-rated teenage talent Harley Hunt.

Borges may well be the last signing of the summer on Teesside ahead of Friday's deadline, though it's understood Boro are monitoring the situation at centre-back, with Rav van den Berg, Dael Fry and Darragh Lenihan all out injured.

Matt Clarke is Boro's only senior centre-back option, with Hunt in line to make his first start against Stoke City tonight.