HIGHLY-RATED Ben Gibson has committed his future to Middlesbrough by signing a new five-year deal with his hometown club – and now he wants to follow it up with a promotion push.

Despite plenty of interest in him from the Premier League, Gibson has agreed and penned the lengthy contract and is focused on trying to help Garry Monk’s side power up the Championship.

Boro dismissed approaches during the summer following relegation from top-flight clubs and it would be no surprise if fresh attempts were made to land him when the transfer window opens in January.

But the 24-year-old has penned new terms tying him to the Riverside Stadium, where he has become the club’s prize asset over the last couple of years after making almost 200 appearances, until 2222.

“I’m delighted to sign a new contract,” said Gibson. “Everyone knows what this club means to me. I’ve grown up with the club, I went to the Riverside from a young age and remember all those special European nights.

“I’ve been lucky enough to go on and play for the club, and even captain the team, and I’ve had some amazing experiences here.”

Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea are among the big clubs to have monitored his progress in recent years, while West Brom are known to have had a couple of offers knocked back for him in August.

The talented centre-back was called into the England squad for the game with Lithuania in March but, largely because of relegation, he faces a battle to work his way back into Gareth Southgate’s plans for next summer’s World Cup.

Middlesbrough have been desperate to have him around to help with the fight to make an immediate return to the Premier League, so confirmation new terms have been signed pleases everyone inside the club.

Gibson said: “It’s been a great career to this point, barring last year when we were relegated, but I have loved every minute of it.

“We have had successes and hard times as well here. Last year wasn’t an ideal year for the club, myself, but there were positives … I got an England call up, I was really honoured to have achieved that.

“No doubt we will bounce back from relegation and be up there again, just like we bounced back from the play-off final defeat a couple of years ago.”

Gibson was an unused substitute at Bournemouth on Tuesday when Middlesbrough bowed out of the EFL Cup, despite encouraging aspects to the display.

Monk, the Middlesbrough boss, opted to make changes for that cup tie and he will tinker heavily again when they head to Reading on Saturday.

Left-back George Friend was one of those recalled to the side on the south coast after losing his place in the league recently to Fabio da Silva. Having played reasonably well on his return to the fold, Friend is now desperate to stay in the mix.

The 30-year-old said: “I was ready to go from 7am on the morning of the game, I was buzzing to be out there and lead them out in the absence of Gibbo and Grant Leadbitter.

“I thought I gave a good account of myself with a few rusty bits now and again. Shame we didn’t progress but we concentrate on Reading now.

“It was ten changes, ten lads coming in and doing well. It’s decisions to make for the manager and that’s what you need to do.

“The manager wants us to show what we are capable of before the next international break and I think we have started that with our performance at Bournemouth, now we have to continue that in the league games.

“Every time you train you have to show the manager, not just in a first team match what we can do. We understand we have a big squad and people will be frustrated, but we know you get a chance and you have to be ready. Everyone knows in this league there are twists and turns, so we are all raring to go.”

Whatever team that is fielded by Monk is capable of winning because of the talent within the squad, which is why Reading manager Jaap Stam will not be reading too much into Middlesbrough’s six match winless run.

“It’s a team with a lot of quality," Stam added. "Certain players left over the summer but they still have a lot of quality within the squad, players who also played in the Premier League.

“You know it’s not going to be easy, even for them it’s not easy in the Championship. It’s a team that’s got potential to go up again to the Premier League.

“We’re aware of that and the ability they have but we need to have results as well, we have to go and face them in a certain way to do well.”