Middlesbrough’s new signing George Saville has spoken for the first time about his Millwall exit.

The 25-year-old made a loan deadline day move to the Riverside for a fee reported to be around £8million.

And according to NewsAtDen, the opportunity to get to the Premier League was more viable for the midfielder than staying at The Den.

Saville was speaking to the assembled media while on international duty, said his time at Millwall was “fantastic” but admitted that Millwall was a “stepping stone to get the next level.”

Middlesbrough had seen a permanent offer for the former Wolves man rejected by the Lions on deadline day at the start of August, but the interest in the Northern Ireland international never wavered. 

But the north-east club finally got their man on the loan deadline day, completing a deal despite leaving it down to the last hour or so.

Saville opened up about his Lions exit speaking to the assembled international media, as reported by NewsAtDen.

The Middlesbrough man said: “At this stage of my career it’s a fantastic move for myself personally and one I’m really looking forward to.

“My very first loan move was Millwall so it’s been a club that’s been really good for me and my career.

“But at this stage of my career and the interest Middlesbrough showed in me, I couldn’t turn it down.

"The goal is to play at the highest level, which is the Premier League, and with Middlesbrough, I feel I can achieve that.

"Millwall was fantastic for me and gave me the stepping stone to get to the next level.

"For me, Middlesbrough is a club that is a Premier League club, so I didn't need that much convincing of the move.

"It's the right move for me at this time and I feel under a manager like Tony Pulis I can thrive off that and get myself and the football club into the Premier League.”

The Verdict

Millwall fans that are still somewhat bitter about George Saville’s exit need to realise that the club is a small fish in the big pond that is the Championship.

The only way to survive, even after a successful season is to buy players who are out of favour, polish them up, and sell them on.

The London club have not done that to the best of their ability in recent years but it is a sign of the times that Millwall are doing well, and bringing players on to a point where a big money move is on the cards.

If it is financially worthwhile for Neil Harris and the hierarchy at The Den, then the move will be sanctioned.

It does not mean the club are a selling one - as only one big player has left this summer, and the club’s transfer record has been proven twice, within a week.

That is a sign of progression, despite the sale of Saville - things are still looking up for the Lions.