Middlesbrough have confirmed the signing of defender Emanuel Pogatetz from Bayer Leverkusen.
The 22-year-old left-back, who spent last season on loan at Grazer and Spartak Moscow, has moved to the Riverside in a deal worth £1.8million.
Said Boro boss Steve McClaren: "Emanuel has impressive international and European experience for a lad of his age. But he is only 22 and can go on improving, so we are looking to the future.
"We are trying to create competition for places throughout the team, which is something we lacked last season.
"We want to avoid getting into the situation we had last season when we wanted to rest senior players but didn't have cover for injuries. The fact that Emanuel can play either as a full-back or in the centre of defence is a big bonus."
Pogatetz, who was also being chased by Fulham, is Middlesbrough's second signing of the summer following the arrival of Yakubu Aiyegbeni.
