Middlesbrough defender Ben Gibson has said that he wants to win the European Under-21 Championships with England this year.

Gibson is one of a number of Football League players in Gareth Southgate's squad, who are one of the favourites to win the competition. The squad also includes Marcus Bettinelli, Michael Keane, Will Hughes and Jake Forster-Caskey.

The 22-year-old had a superb campaign with Middlesbrough last season where they managed to reach the play-off final, but unfortunately lost out to Norwich City. He made up the best defence in the Championship that kept 19 clean sheets last term.

He scored the winner in a friendly against Belarus at Barnsley last week, boosting his chances of nailing down a starting spot with stiff competition from a number of centre backs.

He told the Gazette Live: “We’re going there to win. We know it’s not going to be easy but we’re going there to win the tournament. We believe we can, we are full of confidence and there’s no reason why we can’t.

When asked about playing in a major international competition, he said: “It’s so exciting.

“I haven’t been able to think about it because what we’ve had on at Middlesbrough, which is my bread and butter, but I have been looking forward to it in the back of my mind all season.

“We are full of confidence and full of belief and we’re hoping to achieve something, so I’m really excited.”

Gibson, or 'Gibbo' as he's known by Boro fans, is currently a target for Liverpool, Manchester City and Everton, and has a £10 million price tag over his head.

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