GIVEN that Garry Monk spent almost two years in charge of Swansea City, it was no real surprise to see him returning to his former club to make one of his first signings as Middlesbrough manager. What was rather harder to predict, however, was the identity of the player he was pursuing.

Middlesbrough supporters could be forgiven for not knowing too much about Swans full-back Connor Roberts when he completed a season-long switch to Teesside earlier this summer because it’s a safe guess that the vast majority of Swansea fans didn’t have much more to say about the 21-year-old either.

A regular at Under-23 level for his Welsh employers, Roberts had not made a single senior appearance for Swansea prior to his move to the North-East. Loan spells at Yeovil and Bristol Rovers had hinted at a degree of talent, but it was still something of a bolt from the blue when Boro announced the full-back’s arrival.

It was clear he had not been signed to make the numbers up when he was parachuted straight into Boro’s first-team squad during their pre-season trip to the Algarve though, and his debut appearance in Tuesday’s Carabao Cup win over Scunthorpe United provided further confirmation of his senior status at the Riverside.

Having kept in touch with a number of his former colleagues at the Liberty Stadium, Monk clearly saw something in Roberts he felt was worth pursuing. For a player who had been expecting to spend most of this season in Swansea’s Under-23 squad, that was understandably a huge boost.

“It gives you confidence,” said Roberts, who was one of three senior debutants in Tuesday’s game. “He (Monk) told me he had spoken to various different managers that I’d played under, and they’d all spoken well about me.

“To get the chance to come here and learn from him and the rest of the players is brilliant. Cyrus (Christie) is in front of me, and he’s an international full-back. I’m only going to learn from him, and from other players like George Friend and the gaffer in training. It’s only going to make me a better player.

“It was a no brainer when I got the call from Dave Adams (Swansea’s academy chief) to come here. I knew I wouldn’t be playing week in, week out down at Swansea, so to come here and be involved at this standard in the Championship is just brilliant for me. Hopefully, it will stand me in good stead for the future.”

Having lost both Antonio Barragan and Calum Chambers since the end of last season, Boro were badly in need of right-backs as Monk set about his squad strengthening.

Christie, who joined from Derby, brings a host of experience after more than 200 senior appearances with Coventry and the Rams, not to mention ten senior caps with the Republic of Ireland.

Roberts is clearly much rawer, but he was always on Monk’s wanted list despite his inexperience. Boro’s new manager has developed a reputation for nurturing young talent, and it would be no surprise to see Roberts playing an increasingly prominent role as the season progresses.

“You look at the squad when you come in and try to understand what is needed,” said Monk. “Connor is a young player who I know a lot of from Swansea. I know what he is capable of, and the type of person he is as well, which is important.

“There were a lot of young players on the pitch on Tuesday night, and having that blend is what you need in the squad. I thought Connor did very well, but I know what he can do.

“When your opportunities come along, it’s about taking them and making sure you make the manager have difficult decisions. We’ve had a lot of players leave the squad and we don’t have the biggest of squads, but we’ve tried to focus on quality, and young, dynamic players with a point to prove.”

Roberts is clearly ambitious, but for the time being he accepts he will have to be patient as he looks to further his career. Christie will return to the starting line-up for Saturday’s Championship game with Preston, but Roberts has already established himself as something of a regular on the substitutes’ bench.

“I can only try to learn,” he said. “There’s no point me getting down because I’m not playing because I didn’t expect to go straight into the team and play. Hopefully throughout the season I can keep on getting the odd game, and if I perform well like I did in a couple of patches on Tuesday night, then I’m only going to improve and get better and have a good career.”

As well as developing on the pitch, Roberts is also hoping his season-long loan will help him mature as a person. He has willingly moved from than 300 miles from his home, although he admits to experiencing some teething problems as he learns to live on his own.

“I’m struggling with the washing a bit,” he joked. “But hopefully I’ll get better with that. I’ve been on loan twice before to Bristol and Yeovil, but they were within two hours of where I was living. To move up here and be alone is a bit different, but I’m enjoying it.”