NOT for the first time since his arrival last December, Aaron Danks has played a key role in helping Middlesbrough strengthen their squad.

Former Aston Villa coach and caretaker boss Danks' close links with Cameron Archer and Aaron Ramsey helped Boro bring the pair to the Riverside in January.

And his standing in the game has again proved beneficial for Boro, with Morgan Rogers explaining that the chance to again link up with the first team coach - who he knows from their time together at West Brom and England - was one of the reasons he joined Boro.

Rogers developed through the ranks with the Baggies before joining Manchester City for £4m when he was just 17, while Danks spent more than a decade at the Hawthorns before joining the FA.

And the forward - who signed a four-year deal with Boro this week and linked up with the squad in Portugal - is relishing the opportunity to work with the coach once more.

"I was with him at West Brom when I was younger as a boy growing up and I've been with him at England a few times when I was growing up," said Rogers.

"I have a good relationship with him and he's one of the reasons I'm here."

Danks' presence at Boro was by no means the only factor in Rogers choosing to head for Teesside. The 20-year-old played against Boro while on loan at Blackpool last season and was quite simply blown away by Michael Carrick's side.

He told the club website: "I played against them last year with Blackpool and I was just stunned after the game.

"I spoke to people close to me and was just like, 'that's a proper team'. So as as soon as they came in I was really excited."

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Pressed on what most impressed him about Boro, he said: "Just the control of the game that they had, especially against us.

"It was relentless, 90 minutes non-stop, wave after wave of attacks. The style of play is obviously effective but it's also pretty on the eye, it gets attacking players in great positions and creates and scores goals. That's the way I like to play football and feel the way football should be played.

"I'm really looking forward to it. It's a fresh challenge and a new chapter. I can't wait to get going. I've met the new boys and they're so warm and welcoming straight away. All of the experienced lads have introduced themselves and made me feel at home.

"In the off-season I spoke to the manager and assistant managers and from there I was hooked with the style of play."

Asked what Boro fans can expect from him, Rogers said: "I like to play in any attacking position. I'm quite versatile.

"I want to create and score goals. That's what I pride myself on, I want to get fans off their seats, be the difference in games, be the spark and be the difference. That's what I want to do and what I'm trying to learn and improve on."