Aidan Morris sends 6-word message to Sebastian Berhalter after Middlesbrough arrival | OneFootball

Middlesbrough midfielder Aidan Morris has reacted to his United States international team-mate Sebastian Berhalter's move to the Riverside Stadium.

Middlesbrough are preparing for another season in the Championship after missing out on promotion.

Middlesbrough spent much of last season in the automatic promotion places, but a run of just four wins in their final 15 games of the regular campaign saw them drop out of the top two, with Kim Hellberg's men eventually finishing fifth.

Despite a 2-1 aggregate defeat to Southampton in their play-off semi-final, Boro were handed a promotion lifeline when the Saints were kicked out of the final as a result of the Spygate affair, but the Teesside outfit failed to take advantage of their second chance as they were beaten 1-0 by Hull City at Wembley.

It was a tough start to the summer for Boro as they lost two of their key players, with defender Dael Fry making the move to Birmingham City and midfielder Hayden Hackney joining Everton in a £24 million deal, but recent incomings have helped to lift the mood at the Riverside Stadium.

After the signings of Myles Peart-Harris, Kyle Joseph and Will Lankshear, Boro completed their fourth new addition of the summer on Tuesday as midfielder Sebastian Berhalter arrived from MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps for an initial fee of around £900,000 plus add-ons, and the deal has been particularly well-received by one of his new team-mates.

Aidan Morris reacts to Sebastian Berhalter reunion at Middlesbrough

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Berhalter scored 20 goals and provided 26 assists in 167 appearances during his four-and-a-half year spell with the Vancouver Whitecaps after joining from Columbus Crew in February 2022, while he has also made a name for himself at international level over the past year.

The 25-year-old featured in all five of the United States' World Cup games this summer as they reached the last 16 of the tournament, scoring and registering an assist on his only start in the 3-2 defeat to Turkey in the final round of the group stage.

After social media talk first emerged about Berhalter's possible move to the Riverside Stadium, it was initially claimed that he was not a player Middlesbrough were pursuing, but they have fought off strong competition from some of their Championship rivals and top clubs in Europe to land the midfielder's signature.

Boro have a track record of recruiting from the MLS in recent times, with defender Adilson Malanda and midfielder Aidan Morris both swapping the United States for Teesside, and the latter is certainly no stranger to Berhalter.

Morris and Berhalter made their senior debuts together when they came off the bench in Columbus Crew's 4-0 victory over FC Cincinnati during the MLS is Back Tournament in July 2020, while they have also played alongside each other for the USMNT on multiple occasions.

After the pair were reunited at Boro, Morris took to Instagram to share his delight at the deal and send a message to Berhalter, writing: "Welcome to the Boro my guy", accompanied by a heart emoji.

Middlesbrough may have found the perfect Hayden Hackney replacement in Sebastian Berhalter

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Replacing the Championship's Player of the Season was never going to be an easy task for Middlesbrough, and Berhalter has big shoes to fill after Hackney's exit, but it looks like he could be the ideal successor.

It remains to be seen whether Berhalter can have the same level of influence on Boro as Hackney, but his impressive record of 46 goal contributions during his time with Columbus Crew suggests he can at least replace some of the departed academy graduate's creative spark.

Morris and Hackney were one of the best midfield partnerships in the Championship, but given their close relationship, it would be no surprise to see Morris form an equally formidable pairing with Berhalter, and the minimal fee Boro have paid for the US international looks to be something of a bargain.