DUNCAN Watmore has bid an emotional farewell to Middlesbrough and says he'll be "forever grateful" to the club for taking a chance on him.

Watmore was without a club and facing an uncertain future when Neil Warnock initially moved to sign the forward on a short-term deal in 2020.

The ex-Sunderland man made a blistering start and earned a long-term deal, making almost 100 appearances for the club before leaving for Millwall on deadline day, six months before his contract on Teesside was due to expire.

And after his move to the Lions was finalised, Watmore penned a farewell message to Boro and the club's supporters.

He said: "In October of 2020 my football career was very uncertain after having three challenging years with injury and with my previous contract ending during Covid.

"I shall be forever grateful that Mr. Gibson, Neil Warnock and the wider club took a chance on me then. I have sought to repay them every day since, and Middlesbrough FC will have a special place in my heart forever as a result.

"I have loved playing with all my teammates, and everyone at the club has made me feel so welcome from day one and supported me in my career.

"I have drawn so much inspiration from the Boro fans whose unfailing support for the team has been incredibly motivating to us all. They give 100% every match and I have tried my best to match them.

"The current squad and management team are an unbelievable group that are doing so well and the club is firmly pointing in the right direction.

"Whilst it is time for me to move on, I wish everyone at the Boro the best of luck for the future and thank everyone for the great times I have had there, I’ve absolutely loved it."

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Millwall boss Gary Rowett was delighted to land Watmore.

He said: “Middlesbrough have changed formation and he has probably played a little less football. But he has still been one of their first subs off the bench and still started games for them. He has done really well, he’s scored five goals before Christmas – that equates to double figures over the course of a season.

“That is exactly the type of player that we’re looking to bring in, someone who can play wide or play a little more central. Someone who can score goals and adds a lot of other qualities – he’s hard-working, he’s a runner, he’s a really honest player with really good skill levels.

“He fits what we want in the group. We’re a hard-working team. We’re going to press, we’re going to chase and we’re going to harry – make it uncomfortable for teams, if we can. Duncan fits all those parameters and adds to the potential of goals."