Dael Fry has signed a new five-year contract with Middlesbrough that will keep him at the club until June 2020.
The England Under-19s defender made a big impression on Boro boss Aitor Karanka during pre-season and was rewarded with his first start for the club in the opening game of the season at Preston.
“He could be an amazing player because he has everything”
Aitor Karanka on Dael Fry
Fry has enjoyed a dramatic rise through the ranks on Teesside, representing the club's U18s and U21s side in the past 18 months before his first-team debut in August.
“I’m really pleased because he’s one of the players who deserved this contract and our confidence,” Karanka told MFC.co.uk.
“I said after the Preston game that he has everything to be successful in football and especially this club because he’s a good player and a good kid.
“He likes to learn. He trains with us sometimes and he’s improving every single day. He goes with the national team and is the best, he scores goals."
The former Real Madrid man added: “He could be an amazing player because he has everything.
“I’m really pleased because he deserves it and he can be an important part in the future of this club.”
Fry was part of the England U17s squad that lifted the European Championship in 2014.
He went on to represent the Young Lions at U18s level and he started for Aidy Boothroyd's U19s in last Monday's 1-1 draw in Croatia.
