FABIO DA SILVA is determined to make up for lost time after finally making his first Premier League appearance in a Middlesbrough shirt in Sunday’s 1-0 defeat to Chelsea.

Having moved to Teesside in a £2m switch from Cardiff City in mid-August, Fabio made his Boro debut in August’s EFL Cup second-round game at Fulham.

However, his maiden outing at Craven Cottage lasted just ten minutes before a knee injury forced him off the field, and he spent more than a month recuperating.

He finally got a chance to test himself in the Premier League on Sunday, with George Friend’s absence creating a gap on the left of the back four, and while he endured a difficult afternoon up against wing-back Victor Moses, he coped reasonably successfully given the strength of the opposition.

Friend is currently touch-and-go ahead of Saturday’s trip to Leicester City, with Fabio once again standing by to replace him if he fails to pull through.

The Brazilian accepts he faces a battle to dislodge Friend from the starting line-up on a permanent basis, but is determined to prove his worth as he attempts to rebuild his reputation following a tough few seasons with QPR and Cardiff.

“It has been a long wait to play,” said Fabio, who moved to Manchester United with his brother, Rafael, in 2007 and made 56 senior appearances for the Old Trafford club. “The team have been playing very well so it is quite hard to get in the team, and George has been playing well so I had to wait for my chance. But I have my chance now because George is injured, and I want to take it.

“I had my knee problem at Fulham – it happened and that’s football. It’s not easy when you come to a new club and get injured straight away, especially at the start of the season.

“I was out for a month, I couldn’t train and spent most of my time with the physios and not the team. But I’ve got myself back now.

“I was always confident I could get back in the team and prove myself. I’m here to help, to help the team and this club make achievements.”

While Antonio Barragan proved he is capable of switching flanks earlier in the season, Fabio is the main left-back cover for Friend and having opted to bring him in from the Championship, Karanka is clearly a fan of the 26-year-old.

Fabio’s career has stagnated somewhat since he burst onto the scene as a teenager with Manchester United, but he regards his maiden Premier League outing at the Riverside as a major landmark, even if resulted in a defeat that leaves Boro just a point above the relegation zone.

“It was great to make my first game at the Riverside,” he said. “The crowd was fantastic. I wanted to come away with something, a point or something, and that didn’t happen. But I was happy to play my first game here.

“I was tired and felt a bit of cramp – that was why I went off – but I want to be better in the next game. It is tough to replace George, but I think I did okay.”

Boro matched Chelsea for long spells, and having previously taken a point off Arsenal and Manchester City, Fabio feels the Teessiders have proved they can compete with the best sides in the Premier League.

“We’ve played very well in some difficult games and got points, and that is a good thing,” said the full-back. “We had a chance to get a draw, but unfortunately that didn’t happen.”

Meanwhile, another Boro defender, Alex Baptiste, has been earning positive reviews during his loan spell at Preston.

Baptiste moved to Preston on a season-long loan on transfer-deadline day, and has started all 12 of the Championship club’s league games since.

He has spent some of his time at centre-half, but started at right-back in last weekend’s goalless draw with Wolves, with Preston boss Simon Grayson delighted with the consistency of his displays.

“We knew what we were going to get when we signed (Baptiste),” said Grayson. “He’s had a good career, and is highly thought of in the game.

“Defenders don’t tend to get too many headlines, but he does his job very well. (He) has been very consistent so far for us. He is a pleasure to work with – the lad enjoys coming into training.”