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George Boateng believes Viktor Fischer could prove to be a canny acquisition.

Boro made their first signing of the summer last week when they paid Dutch giants Ajax £3.8m for the Danish winger.

All the paperwork has been done on the deal between the clubs and between Boro and the player although it can’t formally be registered until after the international transfer window reopens on 9 June.

And ‘indestructible’ former Middlesbrough and Holland midfielder Boateng believes it will be worth waiting for.

Popular Boateng, who played 223 times for Boro including in the Carling Cup and UEFA Cup finals in an eventful spell at the Riverside, keeps a close eye on the Dutch Eredivisie and knows all about Fischer, who turns 22 next week.

“He is a great player and one that I have watched many times,” said Boateng, who cut his teeth at Excelsior and Feyenoord before switching to the Premier League with Coventry City in 1998.

Boeteng also played for Aston Villa before joining Boro in a £5m move in August 2002.

Read more Viktor Fischer contacted Spurs star as he weighed up move to Boro

“I think Viktor Fischer can be a good signing for the club,” said the former Boro fans’ favourite.

“He’s a very young and talented player, one with a great future ahead of him but he doesn’t have a lot of international experience yet.”

Fischer has played at every youth level for Denmark but only has eight senior caps, having missed over a year with a hamstring injury.

But Fischer knows all about moving from one country to another, having left his native Denmark as a teenager to join the Ajax Academy.

With that in mind, it shouldn’t be too much of a stretch for him to adapt to life in the North-east.

Read more Three key questions after Boro complete signing of Viktor Fischer

Boateng thinks it’s important Fischer is given plenty of time to settle in properly at Boro.

“Moving to the Premier League won’t be easy for him, especially moving to the Riverside,” he said.

“The area is a nice family orientated area but when you are coming from abroad it feels different and you do need time to adjust.

“It helps if you have other foreign players around you too,” said Boateng, who shared the Boro changing rooms Dutch colleagues Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Bolo Zenden as well as the likes of Yakubu, Juninho and Fabio Rochemback.

“If there are others you can bond and try and learn about the area and the culture together. That is important.”

Fischer is currently with the Denmark squad in Japan as they prepare for the four team invitational Kirin Cup.

Denmark play Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday in Aichi before facing either Japan or Bulgaria in Osaka next Tuesday 7 June in the Final or the third/fourth play-off.

Boro won the Kirin Cup in 1980 in a previous incarnation when it was a club based format. They beat Espanyol on penalties after a 1-1 draw.