The question over whether Tommy Smith wanted to commit his future to Middlesbrough was replied with a ‘straight forward’ answer by the defender who put pen-to-paper on a contract on Teesside.

After spending weeks with the club training with the first-team squad and featuring in every pre-season friendly, Smith has now been tied down to a one-year contract at the Riverside Stadium.

The 30-year-old adds considerable depth to Boro’s squad along with his experience having racked up 240 Championship appearances for Huddersfield Town and Stoke City and led the Terriers to Championship promotion in 2017.

After his release from the Potters in the summer, Smith was asked by an old friend in Chris Wilder to report to the club’s Rockliffe training ground for pre-season.

“I know the manager really well” said Smith. “He asked me to come down and train which was a no brainer for me to be able to come up here and do a pre-season under his watchful eye.

“I’ll be honest with you I’ve loved every single minute of it. The lads are brilliant, the staff have been welcoming, the training ground is brilliant. It’s a fantastic football club and as I say, I am absolutely delighted to be here.”

After spending weeks amongst the first team squad and playing in every Boro friendly, including grabbing a goal in the opening game against Bishop Auckland, Smith was certain of where he wanted his next destination to be.

The defender continued: “There was a little bit of uncertainty and I wasn’t so sure of where I was going to be, what I was going to do. But one thing I did know was that if Middlesbrough come calling it would be a straight forward answer for me. That’s been the case.

“As I’ve said, I’ve loved every single minute of it and when the manager said we wanted to get something done, it was an easy response from me point of view.”

The right-back is likely to play deputy to Isaiah Jones this season after the departure of Djed Spence who completed a high valuation move to Tottenham Hotspur earlier this summer. Chris Wilder is a manager who likes to have two players for every position and the acquisition of Smith ticks that box with the club narrowing in on other targets.

While the addition of Smith adds quality to his squad as well as experience, Wilder is known for wanting characters and leaders in his dressing room which is something the manager admitted there was a considered lack of last season.

It seemed as though it was mutually beneficial to bring Smith on board to see how well he gels into the Boro squad and the transition seems to have worked for all parties allowing a deal to be rubber stamped on the eve of the first game of the season.

Smith said: “That was what it was about with me coming in. As I say, I’ve known the manager for a long time. I know what he is about and I know how he likes to do things.

“Ultimately, I think he wanted me to come here and see whether I could fit into the group. I think he would probably admit that he knows my character and my personality so he probably thought it would be a good fit but even for me to be here for the couple of weeks that I have been here, it just seems to have worked from my point of view.

 “The lads have been brilliant in terms of welcoming me into the group. I’m over the moon, it’s now been put to bed and I’m looking forward to having a really successful season.”