MICHAEL Carrick has confirmed Finn Azaz's arrival from Aston Villa is imminent and has outlined why Middlesbrough targeted the midfielder this month.

Azaz passed his medical with Boro on Wednesday night and has met his new teammates at Rockliffe, with the permanent transfer set to be finalised once a couple of small matters are tied up.

Carrick said the deal is "close" in his press conference on Thursday afternoon and outlined what he likes about Azaz, who has impressed on loan at Plymouth in the first half of the season and scored in the 3-3 draw against Boro in November.

Versatile Azaz will further bolster Carrick's options in the attacking midfield area in the roles playing off the striker.

"Naturally he fits into that spot," said Carrick.

"He played well against us when we played them down there.

"He's had a terrific season and is at a really good age. He's had good experience for his age and played through the leagues in different scenarios.

"He moved away from home at a young age and grew up quite quickly. There's a lot that side as well as the football side and where he is in his career. He's at a really good stage to take the next step. Fingers crossed it gets sorted out quite quickly."

On the deal itself, Carrick said: "I can say it's close. We're still waiting on a few things to be finalised but we're very hopeful it will be done pretty soon."

And asked whether Azaz will be able to play on Saturday against Villa in the FA Cup third round tie, Carrick confirmed: "He's available, yeah."

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The capture of Azaz will be a huge early boost in the transfer window, with Boro's squad set to further strengthened by the return of several players who have been out injured.

Carrick said: "We're always looking to add, every club is, it's not always easy at this time of year but every club is.

"There's the balance of not making a knee-jerk decision just because someone is out to go and get someone in and they might not always fit in. The fact we do have players coming back, numbers wise we should be a lot stronger in the coming weeks. We'll see how January develops."