YANIC WILDSCHUT claims his loan move away from Middlesbrough is already paying dividends, and is hoping his first goal for Wigan Athletic will be a sign of things to come.

Having made just one league start for Boro in the whole of 2015, Wildschut signed a three-month loan deal with League One side Wigan last month.

The 23-year-old Dutchman made his first start for the Latics in Tuesday’s Johnstone’s Paint Trophy game at Crewe, and claimed his first goal for the club as he drilled home a 76th-minute winner.

When he left Teesside, Aitor Karanka challenged Wildschut to use his time at the DW Stadium to gain an “understanding of the English game”, and while he is still settling into his new surrounds, the midfielder is happy with the way his loan move has begun.

“I came here to play games,” said Wildschut, who joined Boro from Dutch Eridivisie side Heerenveen in September 2014. “I haven’t been playing a lot lately, so I am happy to do that and very happy to be here.”

Wildschut is one of nine players currently on loan from Middlesbrough, and while it is hard to see the likes of Adam Jackson and Jonathan Burn breaking into the Teessiders’ first team any time soon, there are other players who could potentially return to the Riverside to play a role in the second half of the season.

Adam Reach, who recently moved to Preston, would fall into that category, and while Wildschut has struggled to live up to the promise he displayed in a blistering performance on his first start against Rotherham last season, it would be premature to rule out the possibility of the Dutchman forcing his way back into the first-team picture.

“I’ve scored my first goal for the club, and it was at an important moment,” said Wildschut. “We had to win the game, and I was pleased to score the goal.

“I picked up the ball just before the halfway line and ran with it. I saw Holty (Grant Holt) run to the side to make some space for me. I wanted to go outside and run the defender with my pace, but the defender was covering that a little bit, so I just went inside and didn’t really think about it. I shot, and it went in.”

Meanwhile, Boro defender Dael Fry is hoping to experience more international success after stepping up to England Under-19s.

Along with team-mate Callum Cooke, Fry was part of the England side that won last year’s Under-17s European Championships, and as he prepares for tomorrow’s Under-19s game in Macedonia, the teenager is confident he will take the step up in age group in his stride.

“We have had a taste of glory last summer when we won the Euros, and we are desperate to carry that on this year,” said Fry, who is also set to take part in European qualifiers against Finland on Saturday and Italy next Tuesday. “It’s going to be very hard.

“They (Macedonia) will probably be very tough to break down and have men behind the ball, but we have to remain patient.

“We’ve learned that through experience. It might be a 1-0 win or a 4-0 win, as long as you get the result, that is what matters most. We just need to remain confident and patient, and believe our football will get us through.”