Middlesbrough midfielder living the dream as he looks to help drag Boro away from relegation danger

His stunning winner against Stoke City last Friday was the latest in a long line of impressive strikes since breaking into the first team picture.

And he admits he finds the extravagant strikes easier than tap-ins!

Boro, five points clear of the Championship drop zone, host Huddersfield on Boxing Day at the Riverside (KO 3pm) with Danny Cowley’s side a place and point above Boro in 19th.

Ahead of the game, Wing said: “It’s always been a big part of my game. I practice my shooting from outside the area, and it’s something I’ve been able to do right through my career.

“To be honest, I find goals like the one against Stoke easier than the tap-ins a lot of the time. I certainly feel more confident taking on a shot like that.

“It’s important because we haven’t scored a lot of goals this season, so as midfielders, we know we need to be chipping in and helping out.

“Goals win you games, so the more people that score, the more chances we have of winning games and getting the points we need.

“Obviously, all of this was my dream come true. It’s still early days in terms of my career, and I’m still enjoying it all.

“I’ve never shied away from having a go, but I think the rest of the lads are like that too to be honest.

“We could easily have folded when we went 1-0 down the other night, but we showed the character we’ve got in the dressing room to get it back to 1-1 and then we were on a roll after that. That’s happened in a few games this season.

“It was obviously a setback when they scored, but we just looked to kick on again.

“We didn’t give up, we always knew we could get back in the game, and then when we did, we made sure we finished our chances.”