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Seny Dieng of Middlesbrough(Image: Gareth Evans/News Images)

Kim Hellberg says Seny Dieng has returned to Middlesbrough this summer fitter, and showing real desire to fight for his place.

The goalkeeper looked certain to be leaving Boro this summer having been frozen out on Teesside in the second half of last season. He wasn’t registered in the squad after proposed moves to Hull City and Feyenoord fell through.

But, returning this summer in what Hellberg described as much better shape, the Boro boss has been true to his word as far as giving any player an opportunity if they prove they deserve it.

Dieng was therefore a surprise inclusion for the Portugal training camp earlier this month. He then played the second 45 minutes of Saturday’s draw at Celtic, making a couple of decent saves.

Asked about Dieng’s Boro status after, Hellberg said: “He came back fit and strong. He's trying to do everything he can in training.

“That's how it's always been: if you do everything you can in training you'll get an opportunity and it's up to the players how they take that opportunity.

“He's come back strong and fit. You can see he's trained a lot during this break, which is not what everyone does all the time in this business. He's at a different fitness level. We'll see what happens. He's doing good.”

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Boro will have an interesting decision to make regarding Dieng and their goalkeeping department for the upcoming season.

Sol Brynn stepped up to become first-choice keeper last term. It was mixed campaign for the Teessider, but he’s young for a goalkeeper and will have undoubtedly learned plenty from the campaign.

Dieng, meanwhile, proved his quality in his first season on Teesside, where he was in contention for the Player of the Year award. But struggling at the start of his second season, he was dropped before suffering an Achilles injury that required surgery in December 2025 and he’s not made a competitive appearance for Boro since.

The Senegal international is in the final year of his contract at the Riverside and it remains to be seen if he can convince Boro officials he deserves a second chance at the club, or whether this just helps accelerate his exit, paving the way for a new goalkeeper to arrive.

Middlesbrough are preparing for a big summer as they look to rebuild from the heartarche of missing out on promotion to the Premier League.

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