YOU wait more than six months for your first taste of English football, then you find yourself marking Zlatan Ibrahimovich. Clearly, it’s tough things as well as good things that come to those who wait.

Bernardo Espinosa couldn’t have asked for a more testing introduction to life in a Middlesbrough shirt, but while his side might have left Old Trafford with nothing on New Year’s Eve after Manchester United staged a dramatic comeback that saw them score twice in the space of 90 second-half seconds, the Colombian centre-half could still be satisfied with his efforts.

Strong, aggressive and composed on the ball, Bernardo successfully showcased the qualities that enabled him to make more than 100 appearances for La Liga side Sporting Gijon prior to his summer move to Middlesbrough.

He was back on the bench when Boro hosted Leicester in their opening game of 2017, but can expect to return to the starting line-up as Aitor Karanka prepares to make changes for tomorrow’s FA Cup third-round tie with Sheffield Wednesday.

He will continue to deputise for Ben Gibson and Calum Chambers for the majority of the second half of the season, but having shown what he is capable of on one of the most demanding stages of all, the 27-year-old is determined to do all he can to ensure he does not have to wait as long again for his second taste of Premier League action.

“My hope for 2017 is that I get more days like that,” said Bernardo. “Playing in the team and showing what I can do.

“Personally, it’s been a hard year for me, a long year, getting back from injury and getting back to giving a high level every day so I could get back to playing on the pitch.

“Hopefully, for me, 2017 will bring lots of minutes and good health, and for the team good success and lots of points that will keep us in the Premier League.”

Bernardo was one of five changes at Old Trafford, and Karanka is likely to make a similar number of alterations tomorrow as he juggles the demands of the Premier League programme with the desire to engineer an extended FA Cup run.

The likes of Grant Leadbitter and Stewart Downing also made a positive impression as they stepped back into the side on New Year’s Eve, and while Karanka has settled on a relatively unchanged starting line-up in recent weeks, he received a timely reminder of the qualities of some of the players who have found themselves on the sidelines.

That those players enjoyed such a positive reintroduction speaks volumes for their professionalism, with Bernardo happy to keep his personal ambitions in check if it helps generate success for the team.

“We are a big family and a strong group,” said the South American. “Obviously, only 11 players can be in the team on the weekend, but there’s a lot of work during the week, during the days on the training with everyone in the group looking for a spot.

“The players are all very strong and very professional, we keep on trusting ourselves and each other, we keep having faith our opportunities will come and when players come in they will give a good account of themselves. People all contribute when the gaffer thinks it is the moment.

“Obviously, all the players want to play, but our job is to work hard every day and give the gaffer reasons to think that you can compete and get in the team. Obviously, waiting for your chance is part of the job, and hopefully when you get on the pitch, you prove what you can do.”

If Bernardo plays tomorrow, he should have a slightly easier task than the one he was faced with at Old Trafford. Sheffield Wednesday might be pushing for promotion from the Championship, but the challenge of shackling Steven Fletcher or Fernando Forestieri is not quite as demanding as the task of containing Ibrahimovich or Anthony Martial.

Having agreed to move to Middlesbrough in June, Bernardo dreamed of featuring at a ground like Old Trafford, and the reality of the occasion more than lived up to his pre-match expectations.

“It was a great place to make your debut,” he said. “It was a great scenario, and the kind of match and stadium that all players want to play in. What better note to finish 2016 on than to compete and contribute and do my job in that game for the team? I was happy to have the opportunity.

“I’d watched a lot of the previous games, and I’d been on the bench, so I’d been able to closely see the level of the league and the intensity of the games. I came here with the feeling that the league was very, very competitive, so although the game was tough, it was no surprise to me.”