FORMER Middlesbrough and Sunderland star Julio Arca is putting his boots back on - for South Shields.

Argentine Arca, 34, is set to watch his new side play in the Northern League against Easington Colliery on Saturday, with a debut potentially pencilled in against Stokesley next week. 

Speaking to southshieldsfc.co.uk Arca, who retired from professional football in 2013, said: “I’ve been in talks with the manager, Jon King, and the chairman Geoff Thompson for a while, and they’re really excited about bringing the club up and progressing to make the club bigger.

“I want to bring some excitement to the club. The team is doing really well at the moment and are up near the top of the league, and hopefully we’ll get even more fans excited enough to come and watch the games. The aim is to win the league.

“I came here before the season even started, so they told me all about what they’re looking for and what the ideas are here. It’s a long-term plan, so everything looked exciting.

“I’m really competitive in everything I do, so I want to win every game. That’s how I was like last season playing Sunday League football with my friends.

“I was probably one of the most competitive in the team, because if I’m going to do something, I want to do it right.”