DESPITE his southern roots, Luke Young felt that moving to the North- East was the right move after spending ten years in professional football in London.

And, unlike Mark Viduka and Alan Smith, Young is of the opinion that he can fulfil his ambitions at Middlesbrough and he had no doubts about uprooting his family.

It will be two years in November since Young earned the last of his seven England caps, although he is confident that leaving Charlton will strengthen his hopes of more.

There had been interest in the 28-year-old from other clubs, although there seemed a reluctance to meet the £2.5m valuation of a player Charlton bought for £4m in 2001.

But Young claims he has always admired the way Middlesbrough have done things and was immediately swayed by manager Gareth Southgate had to say.

When it became clear that Charlton had lost Premiership status, Southgate claims to have immediately made Young his first choice of right-back.

That is something which appealed to Young, although he does concede he still wanted to discuss the deal with those he knows who have already experienced life by the River Tees.

Jason Euell, who made the same switch 12 months ago, was one, while he could also have discussed life at the Riverside with former Boro striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.

More pertinently, however, the most telling contributor to convincing Young that he should make the long trek north to set up his new home was Southgate, his new boss.

"I did ask questions to different people about the club and I quickly learnt this was a good club, a decent club who are ambitious and looking to push on," said Young.

"That's important, it's also important to my family. If I had thought for one minute it wasn't right I would not have taken such a step.

"I'm convinced that this club can qualify for Europe. I want to be a part of that and I'm looking forward to the challenge. If we can be consistent and hover around midtable for much of the season then I'm sure we could finish in a UEFA Cup spot.

"I would not have moved here if I didn't think that this club was capable of that. There are ambitions here to get this club back into Europe and I want to be a part of that.

"I went down with Charlton last season and it was sad for me to leave. It was a difficult decision but it was one I had to do for the benefit of my career.

"If I was a bit younger I might have stayed down south but I'm not. I'm older, wiser and more experienced.

My family are excited by the move and that has made it easier for me."

Young is from a footballing family. His older brother, Neil, plays for Bournemouth, while he also has a younger brother who is on the books at West Ham's Academy.

Young himself could have been at Upton Park, but Charlton rejected a £3.8m offer last summer.

However, after Iain Dowie was replaced, it always seemed likely Young would leave the Addicks once their top-flight status was relinquished.

And, having been pursued by Southgate soon after the close of the season, he accepted the terms on offer at Middlesbrough after a £2.5m switch was agreed between the two clubs three weeks ago.

"It was a case of needing to feel wanted and it was nice that I felt that was the case from Middlesbrough because they showed their hand first,"

said Young. "They maintained their interest throughout and that felt good.

"I needed that after the frustration of last season. Middlesbrough came at the earliest stage and told me they wanted me.

That was good enough for me.

"I was clearly their first choice and it's obviously nice to know that the manager, who himself is only recently out of football as an international defender, wanted me.

"The manager has many caps for England and that can only help me, given that I'm a defender and he was a renowned defender.

I want to play for England.

"At 28 I feel I have joined a club capable of providing me with the platform to progress. I had chats with Alan Pardew, the Charlton boss, and he did not want to stand in my way if clubs came in."

In joining a club that already has members of the international squad, Stewart Downing and Jonathan Woodgate, Young is convinced England boss Steve McClaren will be around on a regular basis to witness his form.

And it is Southgate's intention to give Young the freedom to go on the front foot as often as possible in an attempt to make Middlesbrough entertaining this season.

That, in itself, could boost Young's international prospects.

"Luke fits the bill in what I look for in a full-back," said the Middlesbrough boss, who moved for Young after failing to agree terms with Stuart Parnaby and Abel Xavier.

"He has what I like in a fullback and gets forward. He has experience and he has been captain of Charlton, so he ticks all the boxes. To secure him for the fee we did, in the manner we did, was fantastic. He should prove to be a fantastic signing for us."

Young, who made 187 league appearances for Charlton, feels he has so far achieved a small slice of what he had hoped for in his career. Now there is a determinination to ensure his Middlesbrough days help him to achieve more of his goals.