Ashley Fletcher has fired a warning to Britt Assombalonga, insisting he has not arrived at Middlesbrough to let his rival strikers play, reports the Northern Echo.  

Garry Monk moved to make Fletcher his latest summer signing last week, with the 21-year-old arriving at the Riverside Stadium for £6.5m from West Ham United.

Fletcher joins Assombalonga and Martin Braithwaite at the Riverside as new striking options this summer, adding to the depth of quality Monk has at his disposal, with Patrick Bamford and Rudy Gestede also on the books.

Assombalonga and Braithwaite were both multi-million-pound additions, with the former costing a club-record £15m. 

However, despite Fletcher only having nine senior goals to his name, compared to Assombalonga’s 79, the striker insisted he would not make it easy for any of his rivals in the battle for first-team opportunities, he said:

“There’s a lot of competition, but that’s football. We’re not here to be nice with each other and let each other play. It’s a real fight – I want to be playing, and other players want to be playing too.

“Competing with other people in your position can only bring the best out of you because you push yourself harder and push yourself to the limit. That can only benefit the team, and if everyone is on point and everyone is firing then the gaffer has a real decision to make.’’

Along with the attacking trio of Fletcher, Assombalonga and Braithwaite, Jonny Howson, Cyrus Christie and Darren Randolph are all other senior additions to Monk’s squad.

Boro begin their Sky Bet Championship campaign this weekend, travelling to Molineux for a clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers, another of the division’s big spending clubs.

It remains to be seen who Monk opts for in attack, but the 38-year-old may have revealed his hand early, handing Assombalonga and Braithwaite the number nine and ten jerseys, whilst Fletcher was given number 18.

The Verdict

Boro’s supporters will love the confidence Fletcher has shown during his early days at the Riverside Stadium, but the striker will have a fight on his hands working his way ahead of two seasoned professionals.

Assombalonga is likely to start the season as Boro’s main man, particularly after the efforts Monk went to in his pursuit of the 24-year-old.

However, the Championship season is 46 games long, and if Boro are to compete for automatic promotion, they will need players like Fletcher to score goals to support the likes of Assombalonga.

Middlesbrough fans… Let us know your thoughts!