FINN Azaz was struck by the efforts and homework of Middlesbrough's recruitment team ahead of his move to the Riverside - and has told of how he has "admired" Michael Carrick's team from afar, even more so after coming up against Boro at the end of last year.

Azaz was in the green of Plymouth - and scored - when Boro drew 3-3 in an entertaining encounter at Home Park in November. He was hugely impressed with Carrick's side that day and had his head immediately turned when he later learnt of Boro's transfer interest.

And he was even more keen on the switch after conversations with those associated with the club and with Carrick himself.

"I think from the get-go the club had done their due diligence on me," said the 23-year-old in his first interview with the club website after putting pen to paper on a four-and-a-half year deal at the Riverside.

"I could see it would be a good fit from speaking to the manager, from playing against the club, from speaking to the staff and players here, it just seemed like the perfect fit.

"Everyone I speak to says what a great place it is to be and how much I'll enjoy it, how good the lads are.

"When I played against the club a few months ago I could clearly see the way they want to play, the kind of football. I was definitely an admirer of that.

"I remember how tough it was to play against, the press, we (Plymouth) had a game plan but there was so much rotation it was hard to play against."

When it comes to Carrick, Azaz's description of his new head coach is a familiar one.

"Everyone I've spoken to says he's the calmest person at the club, winning or losing or whatever the situation is," he said.

"I'm very much aligned in that respect, that's how I'd want my manager to be. The way he spoke to me about development and ambitions for where he wants the team to go, I was very much aligned with that."

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Despite his age, Azaz is well versed when it comes to settling into new dressing rooms. He moved from West Brom to Villa as a youngster before heading out on loan spells to Newport and then Plymouth. At Boro, he's been welcomed by some familiar faces.

"I know Morgs (Morgan Rogers) very well from West Brom, we grew up together," said Azaz.

"He came up an age group and we had a really strong bond. I know Alex (Gilbert) from West Brom. I've done this quite a few times going into a new club so it's not a new thing for me.

"This is the next step for me. It's obviously a massive club, an ex-Premier League club. I've been at big clubs but in terms of the aspirations and the size, it's a step up for me.

"Hopefully it's a step out of my comfort zone again and I grow again. That's how it's been, League Two, League One, Championship, keep growing and keep improving.

"I've been on loan for the last four years so this is the first time I'm looking to get settled and I've chosen a project to completely buy into. Four and a half years reflects that. I'm really looking forward to getting settled."

Asked what the Boro fans can expect from the new recruit, Azaz said: "I'm an attacking midfielder, that's my mould, but I'm very versatile.

"I'm consistently looking for space. The game dictates that, every game is different, the game will dictate where the space is. I like to find the space and play forward. You might see me popping up all over the place and playing forward."