Chelsea midfielder Josh McEachran secures Middlesbrough loan move

Chelsea midfielder Josh McEachran today completed a season-long loan move to Middlesbrough.

Both clubs confirmed this morning that the 19-year-old England Under-21 international would spend this term at the Riverside Stadium.

McEachran made just five appearances, only two of them starts, in a loan spell at Swansea during the second half of last season.

Chelsea are keen to get him much more game time than that and he could make his Boro debut in their npower Championship match against Burnley tomorrow night.

McEachran is widely regarded as one of England's brightest young midfield talents but he has struggled to break into the Blues' star-studded line-up.

Manager Robert Di Matteo admitted on Friday that the teenager's career had "stalled" and that he would have liked to have seen him feature more for Swansea last term.

Di Matteo said: "He's a great talent and, yes, I had conversations with Josh.

"His career's somehow stalled a little bit.

"He came onto the scene very, very early, very young, and I think it's part of a player's development and a young player's career as well that you have ups and downs and you learn all the time.

"With Josh now, I think the best solution for him would be to look to play, maybe go out on loan and play and get into that rhythm of playing games every week and get back the level that he was when he first broke through to the first team here."

PA