Our number one was in place – but we still needed a deputy for the 2023-4 League One campaign. And so in came Krisztián Hegyi; signing for us on loan from Premier League side West Ham United. The agreement with the Hammers meant that we’d have the use of the Hungarian’s services for the whole season. Yeah – we’d be expecting him to play second fiddle to Taye Ashby-Hammond. But that doesn’t mean there wouldn’t be those opportunities for Hegyi to get the first team action all parties would want to give him.

The cosmopolitan nature of Boro’ in modern times means that, alas, Hegyi didn’t have the honour of being the first-ever Hungarian to step out in our colours. Zoltan Liptak had got there a good few years ahead of him with regards to that. The goalkeeper, however, is on track for some serious international honours for his motherland. Having represented the Magyar at youth level, he earned his first call-up to the senior team in March 2023. So, Hegyi looks set to become the latest in a recent line of decent Prem stoppers to come here on loan.

Krisztián Hegyi: Before Boro’

The stopper was certainly in demand at the time he joined the Hammers’ academy in 2019; attracting a healthy number of offers from across Europe. The 2022-3 season saw him become a regular in the Hammers’ U21 side; occasionally donning the skipper’s armband too. And there were high hopes at the London Stadium that Hegyi had a big future ahead of him; goalkeeping coach Xavi Valero quoted as saying “he has all the tools needed to play at the highest level”. Boro’ would be the first testing ground proper for that.