Former Floriana striker Bolasie joins Middlesbrough on loan

Former Floriana player Yannick Bolasie has completed a loan move to Championship side Middlesbrough.

Bolasie, 31, is currently on the books of Everton with whom he played 32 games, scoring twice and registering four assists in the process.

His career began as a 16-year-old with Rushden & Diamonds before moving to Malta, at Floriana.

With the Greens, Bolasie played 14 games during the 2007/2008 season, collecting 14 appearances with just one goal – scored against Pietà Hotspurs in a 4-0 victory in the Premier League.

Having left Malta after just one year, Bolasie returned to England where he spent time at Plymouth Argyle, Barnet and Bristol City.

Bolasie came to the fore when he joined London-based Crystal Palace with whom he played 150 games. In 2012/2013, he was also included in the PFA Team of the Season as well.

His Premier League debut came in 2013, against Liverpool with his goal in England’s top-flight being scored a year later at the other Merseyside side, Everton.

In 2015, Bolasie became the first Palace player to score a hat-trick in the Premier League, with an 11-minute goal spree against Sunderland.

The former Floriana joined Everton in August 2016, for a reported £25m fee. He made his Toffees debut against West Bromwich Albion five days later.

He sustained a cruciate knee ligament injury in a 1-1 draw with Manchester United in December 2016 that would rule him out for over 12 months. He was back in action, again against West Bromwich, on Boxing Day the following year.

In the 2018/19 season, Bolasie spent time on loan with Aston Villa and Belgian side Anderlecht before another temporary move to Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon the following season.

At international level, Bolasie is a Democratic Republic of the Congo international.

He made his international debut for The Leopards in World Cup 2014 qualifying, in a 0-0 draw with Libya.

He was selected for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations squad, and scored against Zambia in the group stage. DR Congo lost out to Ivory Coast at the semi-final stage, but beat hosts Equatorial Guinea, including Emilio Nsue in the third-place play-off.