LEWIS WING is hoping his ‘dream year’ will continue after he penned a new deal committing him to Middlesbrough until 2022.

Wing’s new contract underlines the extent of his progress since he left Northern League side Shildon 16 months ago, and suggests Boro boss Tony Pulis now regards the midfielder as an established part of his first-team squad.

Wing signed his previous contract extension in the wake of his senior debut in last season’s Carabao Cup win at Aston Villa, and having spent the second half of last term on loan at League Two side Yeovil Town, the 23-year-old has taken his career to even greater heights this season.

He has made six senior appearances for Boro this season, starting three Championship games, and also appeared in this week’s Checkatrade Trophy game at Walsall.

“It’s my dream, and it’s coming true at the moment,” said Wing, who was born in Newton Aycliffe, and played for Seaham Red Star before joining Shildon in 2015. “It’s been a mad year, and I’m happy to put pen to paper and get on with things.

“I think I’ve got a lot to improve on still, but at the start of the season I couldn’t have asked for much more. Hopefully, I’ll keep on improving. I can’t stop now, I just have to keep digging away and try to nail down a shirt in the first team.”

Wing caught the eye in last month’s Carabao Cup win at Preston, and will be hoping his performance at Deepdale has helped push him up the pecking order in terms of league selection.

Pulis has a number of midfield options available to him at the moment – former skipper Grant Leadbitter is struggling to even make the match-day squad – but Wing’s ability to thread a pass through a packed defence sets him apart from a number of his team-mates.

“I think the gaffer likes how hungry I am, and I give my all in everything I do,” he said. “I just need to keep on going on now, that’s the main thing. I just have to keep building and getting better.

“Playing at Shildon a couple of years ago roughened myself up. You can play Under-23s football, but that’s not proper football. I think the way I did toughened me up, and made me the player I am.

“The gaffer’s put a lot of trust in me to play with the first team, and I’m part of the first team now and learning every day. It’s where I always wanted to be, and I’m loving it.”

Meanwhile, on-loan Middlesbrough goalkeeper Connor Ripley has lost his appeal against the ban imposed in the wake of his dismissal last weekend, and will miss the next three games with his loan club Accrington Stanley.