Tomas Mejias determined to impress at Boro, but faces battle due to solid form of Dimi Konstantopoulos with Jason Steele waiting in the wings
Tomas Mejias is targeting first team football after committing his future to Boro.
The Spanish keeper agreed a two-year contract last week and will join up with the squad for pre-season training at the end of the month determined to impress compatriot Aitor Karanka.
Mejias had limited opportunities at Real Madrid, where he made just one first-team appearance, the same number he managed during his loan spell with Boro last season.
There were mitigating circumstances for that, however, as he dislocated a finger in training the week after making his debut for the club at Sheffield Wednesday on March 1.
He was declared fit before the end of the season but was unable to break back into the first team due to Dimi Konstantopoulos’s solid form in goal.
Now both keepers have penned new deals and will be setting their sights on that coveted place in the starting line-up when the Championship season gets underway on August 9.
Of course, Jason Steele will have something to say about that, but at this stage it’s unclear whether he will still be with the club by then.
Photo by Mick Walker/CameraSport
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The former England Under-21 international is naturally unhappy about losing his place as the first choice Boro keeper and there are no guarantees that he’ll be the No1 next season.
Karanka’s always insisted that the keeper who works hardest and performs best on the training ground will be in his starting XI so the goalie gloves are presumably up for grabs.
Mejias, for his part, enjoyed his stay with Boro and was pleased to be reunited with Karanka.
“Aitor was somebody I learned a lot from at Real Madrid,” he said at the end of the season.
“He was also the coach of the Spain youth team. I was really pleased when I got the chance to come here and join him in England.
“I was impressed from the very start when I came here because everything is very professional – the stadium, the training ground, the coaching set-up,” added the 25-year-old.
“My ambition is to progress and it has helped me a lot to come to England.
“It is a good country to play football in and the fans are very passionate.
“Over here teams always play hard and it’s always fast.
“It was good to play my first game and disappointing to get injured.
“The important thing for me is to continue in the first team if I can.”
Mejias may be relatively young for a keeper but he knows he must now start to establish himself as a first team regular.
Two first team appearances in three years isn’t much to boast about but he believes time is on his side.
“Goalkeepers can go on until maybe 35 or 37 so so if you look after yourself and train hard, you can have a long career,” he said.
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