First words of new Middlesbrough manager after deal confirmed

Kim Hellberg has been appointed as the new head coach of Middlesbrough, the Championship club have confirmed.

The 37-year-old arrives on Teesside from Swedish side Hammarby after former Boro boss Rob Edwards agreed to join Wolves earlier this month. Hellberg is set to formally take charge later in the week, with interim manager Adi Viveash overseeing Tuesday’s league clash at home to Coventry.

Hellberg told the Middlesbrough website: “I’m delighted to have been appointed as Boro’s head coach and I’m very proud to be here. A lot of things make Boro the perfect choice for me.

“I want us to play quick and aggressive football and to try to win the ball as quickly as possible if we don’t have it. I want us to be quick on goal and create a lot of chances.

“I’ve been very impressed with the players and how they’ve worked so far this season and I’m looking forward to getting to work with them.”

Meanwhile, the 37-year-old Swede is joined by his long-standing assistant David Selini, who links up with Adi Viveash on the coaching staff. The pair join from Allsvenskan runners-up Hammarby, who Hellberg guided to successive second place finishes in the Swedish top-flight.

A Boro club statement read: “Despite his young years, Hellberg arrives with a wealth of experience, having clocked up four promotions already in his home country, and the club’s head of football Kieran Scott is delighted to bring him to Teesside.

He [Scott] said: "Kim is someone I've been monitoring for a while. "He’s well known in the circles of European football as an up-and-coming head coach that was catching a lot of people’s eye and was doing really well at Hammarby.

"We met a few candidates, but Kim was high on my list of people I wanted to speak to. "Myself, Neil (Bausor) and Steve (Gibson) met him and were very impressed with what he had to say and how he carried himself.

"We felt it was an appointment that could take us forward, and we're very pleased to bring him in."