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"Gareth is a model professional, and is someone the younger players can look up to.

"He is a tremendous leader on and off the pitch - and overall he is a damn good player."

Steve McClaren was rightfully delighted with his first acquisition as Boro boss.

And Southgate was no-doubt relieved to be out of Villa Park.

The 30-year-old had suffered a nightmare year since handing in a transfer request at the Midlands club after Euro 2000 only to discover no club would match Villa's rather hefty price tag.

But a £6.5m Boro offer was enough to tempt Villa's hand and the England defender moved north on this day in 2001.

"I was extremely impressed with the manager and what he wants to achieve at the club," Southgate told the Evening Gazette after his unveiling at Rockliffe.

"There is never any guarantee of success, but there is a new era starting at the club which I want to be part of.

"It's great to be part of the manager's plans and I feel very proud to be Steve's first signing."

And McClaren was equally as complimentary about his new centre-half, who was to slip straight into the side alongside his former defensive compatriot at Villa Park, Ugo Ehiogu.

"One of the main qualities of leadership is to make the players around you perform better," beamed the boss.

"You can't have too many players like that in your team."

McClaren refused to reveal at that stage whether he was going to hand his new signing the armband.

Yet within five years Southgate would make history as Boro skipper, lifting the Carling Cup and leading the side out at Eindhoven.

Despite the star summer signing forming the spine of the side as McClaren built from the back in his debut season in charge, Boro's £14.5m central defensive pairing started the season in a leaky fashion, conceding four goals twice in the first four games.

They soon steadied the ship, losing only two out of the next 11 and recording five shut-outs in the run up to Christmas.

Southgate's leadership qualities which McClaren had enthused about upon his arrival were noted by Steve Gibson upstairs.

Such was the impression he made on the Boro supremo that a little more than five years after walking out to make his debut for the club, he would walk out as Boro manager .

Read more entries from @UntypicalBoro's #OnThisBoroDay posts HERE

All the Gazette's Boro stories are HERE