Kenneth Omeruo joins Middlesbrough on loan from Chelsea

Super Eagles defender, Kenneth Omeruo joined Middlesbrough on loan on Tuesday for the remainder of the season.

The 20 year old defender was a revelation at the 2013 Africa cup of nations, helping Nigeria to win the tournament. He was injured at the beginning of this season which have slowed down his progress at Chelsea.

This loan move will help him improve and increase his chances of retaining his starting shirt in the Super Eagles during the world cup.

Read Chelsea FC official statement below:

Kenneth Omeruo has today (Tuesday) joined Middlesbrough on loan for the remainder of the season.
Omeruo, 20, can operate as a central-defender or right-back and spent the early part of this season training with the first team squad having returned from a loan spell at ADO Den Haag in the Netherlands.

After moving to Den Haag in January 2012, shortly after signing for Chelsea, Omeruo established himself as a regular in the side and scored his first goal against FC Groningen towards the end of the 2011/12 season.

The youngster remained at the club for the whole of the 2012/13 campaign in which he continued to flourish.

His displays at club level led to a call-up for the senior Nigeria squad ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations where, after coming on as a substitute in their opening game, he played the full 90 minutes in the following five matches as the Super Eagles won the tournament.

Omeruo spent the majority of last season playing at centre-back, and he was again involved for Nigeria during their Confederations Cup campaign in the summer, playing in all three games.

He also helped Nigeria secure their place at the 2014 World Cup finals, recovering from a shoulder injury to play in the second leg of their qualification play-off win against Ethiopia. 

Omeruo made his first appearance in a Chelsea shirt for the Under-21s in a 3-3 draw against West Ham United in November.