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The timing may have come as a slight surprise but the position which Aitor Karanka chose to strengthen was very much expected.

At full strength at the end of last season, the make-up of the three playing behind the striker picked itself: Albert Adomah, Gaston Ramirez and Stewart Downing.

But beyond that, Karanka was limited slightly - and that's not something we've said too often given the options available to the head coach.

The struggle of Carlos de Pena and the anonymity of Kike Sola - twinned with the wide men who were out on loan - meant Karanka had little room to tinker in that position.

Not that he needed to. The head coach stuck with what was working at the business end of the season, and that trio made the spots their own.

The plan of the club last summer was to completely reshape the front line - which they did - and there will be some alterations this summer as well.

The future of Gaston Ramirez remains undecided and there's the first addition of the summer to take into consideration.

The club confirmed the arrival of Viktor Fischer on Friday evening, with the Danish 21-year-old set to wrap up his move on June 9, when the transfer window opens.

We've heard from a Dutch expert on Fischer, that he's not the orthodox Ajax winger - more direct - and that he's at home in a central role as well as on the flank.

So what can we expect from him? And how will he fit in?

Where will Fischer fit in?

At the end of the 2014/15 season, Adam Reach had turned into a bit of a scapegoat.

Come the middle of last season, there was somewhat of a clamour from some quarters to recall him from his loan spell at Preston.

It told the tale of a slight shortage on the flanks.

Gaston Ramirez's success in the No.10 position was crucial for Boro, not just because he was a natural in that role who offered much-needed support to the striker but because it meant Stewart Downing and Albert Adomah could make the wide positions their own.

There was a consistency to the team selection in that position. Yet there was also a slight lack of competition.

(Image: Getty Images)

Read more Everything you need to know about Viktor Fischer

Serious questions remain about Carlos de Pena as we await any signs to suggest he can make a success of his time in England.

Fischer, then, will provide that much-needed competition on the wing, yet he's equally at home in a central role.

It was there where he acquired a comparison with Dennis Bergkamp. Not to be sniffed at.

And the similarities with Christian Eriksen are equally as promising. It's in a central role, pulling the strings, where the former Ajax man has been at his most threatening for Spurs.

There’s also talk of Fischer being able to play as a striker, though that’s no simple task in Boro’s system. Still, that versatility can only benefit Boro and the player himself as he looks to make a success of his time in England.

So will he slot straight in or take time to adjust?

The Eredivisie has been the source of some frustration for Boro in the past.

Think Afonso Alves, the goal machine who, well, didn't score that many goals.

Think Marvin Emnes and the project. An ongoing project.

Think Yanic Wildschut, the sprinter in football boots in his early days at Boro.

"It's difficult to say how Fischer will fare in the Premier League as there's a big step between the Eredivisie and the Premier League," Dutch journalist Mike Verweij of the Telegraaf told the Gazette this week.

"All players making that step need time and sometimes you don't always get that time in the Premier League."

He hits the nail on the head at the end there. It's hard to afford a player the time to adjust. Instead, they must learn on the job.

But Verweij insists Fischer has the quality to succeed, and the youngster isn't shy of confidence.

It would be perhaps slightly unreasonable to expect Fischer to nail down a starting spot and take the league by storm from the get-go, but equally there's a need to demonstrate the required qualities early doors - for his sake as much as Boro's.

What does the arrival mean for some fringe players?

The departure of Yanic Wildschut last year demonstrated the ruthless side of Aitor Karanka.

The sparkling form of Wildschut in his loan spell at Wigan didn't alter the manager's thinking, the Spaniard clearly didn't believe the Dutchman could cut it in the top flight - the level at the forefront of Karanka's mind as he built and tinkered with his team.

Preston are keen to resign Adam Reach this summer and should Boro make it clear they'd be willing to cash in, they won't be the only interested club. And it's almost impossible to see a way back for Muzzy Carayol. He'll depart, you'd think.

(Image: Harry Engels/Getty Images)

Then there are those who were first choice this season.

Boro will hope the Premier League will bring the very best out of Stewart Downing, as it did a couple of seasons ago at West Ham United, and the signing of Fischer is unlikely to deter them in their chase of Gaston Ramirez.

Whether Ramirez returns or not, Fischer's signing doesn't change the fact Boro need another No.10. An added body on the right side would also come in useful, though Albert Adomah will feel he's done more than enough to keep a grip on his place at the start of next season.

Fischer has a point to prove but after seven years out of the top flight, so does everyone else in the Boro squad.