Middlesbrough new boy Besic excited to work under Tony Pulis

Besic joined on loan from Everton on deadline day and is ready to make his debut at Norwich City tomorrow, if selected.

The Bosnian is happy to link up with Boro boss Tony Pulis, with the Teessiders in eighth place, three points adrift of the play-off spots.

Norwich are 13th, five points behind Boro.

Asked about Pulis, Besic told mfc.co.uk: “I think he’s a fantastic coach.

“We spoke on the phone a couple of days ago and I decided to come here.

“From what I’ve seen, it’s a big club and it’s a good opportunity for me.

“I could have gone elsewhere, but I decided to stay in England and because of Tony Pulis I came here.

“I want to prove to the manager that it was the right decision to take me and I want to bring the football club forward.”

Besic, who joined Everton from Hungarian outfit Ferencvaros in 2014, wants to taste the Riverside atmosphere as a player for the first time.

Everton have played the Teessiders three times since his arrival, though he did not get on the pitch.

“We played two seasons ago in the League Cup against Middlesbrough,” he added. “I remember that day and how good the atmosphere was.”

Besic was joined in the Boro squad on Wednesday by Huddersfield defender Martin Cranie, who helped the Terriers clinch promotion to the Premier League last season, getting off the bench in the play-off final triumph against Reading at Wembley.

The 31-year-old told mfc.co.uk: “I’m probably a bit older than most of the lads here so I would like to think I’ve got a bit of experience on my side.

“If that helps the lads in the position they are in at the minute, if we can push to get in the play-offs, or even go one better and go up, hopefully I can bring something to the table.”

Cranie has managed just two top-flight starts for David Wagner’s men, heavy defeats to Bournemouth and Arsenal. The Yeovil-born player added: “I’m here to play games.

“I’ve played in this division for a lot of years now so maybe for the boys that haven’t played a lot of games at this level or the foreign lads coming in, if I can help in anyway then I will be more than happy.

“But I’ve come here to help on the pitch as well as I still feel I’ve got a lot of years left in me.”

Fellow new boy Jack Harrison, on loan from Manchester City, is also available to face Norwich.

Tomorrow’s game will see Boro without Cyrus Christie and Martin Braithwaite for the first time, following their deadline day moves to Fulham and Bordeaux (loan) respectively.

* Middlesbrough’s Under-18s are ready for the toughest task of their season tonight, when they tackle Arsenal in the fifth round of the FA Youth Cup at Bishop Auckland’s Heritage Park (7pm kick-off).

Boro beat Bolton 2-0 at home in the third round, then knocked out Stevenage 2-1 away from home in the fourth round.