NEW Middlesbrough signing Yanic Wildschut aims to emulate fellow Dutchman Bolo Zenden and be a hit on Teesside following his move from Heerenveen.

Wildschut has signed a two-year deal at the Riverside Stadium with the option of a further year and has moved for a fee which is understood to be around €800,000.

The 22-year-old has revealed the Teessiders were interested in signing him a couple of seasons ago, but admitted the time was now right for a move to England.

“Middlesbrough have been interested in me for a long time, but I wasn’t ready to take the step a few years ago,” the winger revealed.

“When I heard they wanted me again, I knew straight away I wanted to come here. I’d heard a lot of good stories and I know some former players like Marvin Emnes. It’s a good club and a beautiful place.

“I know that Zenden was a very big player here and hopefully I can do just as well, if not better than him.”

Wildschut is a product of the famous Ajax Academy, and the attacking midfielder hopes he can make an instant impact on Teesside.

He said: “I’ve got a lot of pace and speed – I think I’m strong too, so hopefully that can help us win a lot of points and do well.

“If you play at the Ajax Academy it opens a lot of doors for you because it’s a great club and the coaches are all very experienced – it helped me a lot in my career.”