Championship side Middlesbrough had new signing Matthew Hoppe for over a year and considered purchasing him from Schalke last summer, according to Teesside Live.

The 21-year-old was announced as Boro's seventh signing yesterday - and arrived for a fee believed to be in the region of £2.5m from Mallorca with the American unable to make a real impact in the Balearic Islands.

Injuries and Covid-19 proved to be his downfall at his former club, with the young forward making just seven appearances in all competitions and recording no goals and just one assist in the process.

However, he will be hoping to force his way into Gregg Berhalter's plans for the World Cup later this year - and will be aware of Daryl Dike's injury record at West Bromwich Albion since the former Orlando City talisman's arrival at The Hawthorns in January.

This move could provide Hoppe with a chance to shine ahead of Qatar - but will need to make up for lost time after such a disappointing spell at the Visit Mallorca Stadium.

That move to the Balearic Islands could have been prevented if Boro had stepped in last summer - and they were reportedly weighing up a move for him even back then according to Teesside Live - with the club having the forward as one of their long-term targets.

The Verdict:

It would have been interesting to see how he managed to fit in under Neil Warnock and whether the contributions of the young forward would have saved his job if he had remained fit.

However, it would have been even more fascinating to see his impact in the first team during the second half of last season, with Aaron Connolly and Folarin Balogun failing to score the goals needed to take Boro to the top six.

The American is still far from the finished product though - and this is why he may not have made too much of an impact. He may not even be a regular for the Teesside outfit this term, though he should be a key part of the first-team squad if he does manage to impress.

At this stage though, it looks as though Duncan Watmore, Chuba Akpom, Marcus Forss and two more forwards will be ahead of him in the pecking order, limiting his game time at this stage.

With two more strikers set to arrive before the summer window closes though, you do have to wonder about Akpom's future because having seven forwards, with Josh Coburn also available as an option when he returns, may be excessive.

With the nature of Coburn's injury, he won't be going out on loan and it would be difficult to see him and Hoppe being satisfied with a place in Boro's youth system.