Ritchie De Laet Joins Middlesbrough On Loan

- Middlesbrough in contention for automatic promotion from the Championship 

- De Laet could potentially feature against Blackburn Rovers this weekend 

Leicester City defender Ritchie De Laet has joined Championship side Middlesbrough on loan until the end of the 2015/16 season. 

Ritchie, 27, has featured 14 times for the Foxes this term, including seven starts in the Premier League, but has not started a league game since the end of September. 

Since joining City in the summer of 2012, De Laet has made 129 appearances for the Foxes, contributing considerably to the Club’s promotion to, and establishment in, the Barclays Premier League. 

The Belgian’s five goals in a City shirt included one to spark a famous comeback against Aston Villa earlier this season – a game in which Leicester trailed 2-0 before going on to win 3-2. 

He joins a Middlesbrough side under the guidance of Aitor Karanka and firmly in the race for automatic promotion from the Championship. After 27 games, Boro trail league leaders Hull City by just a point with a game in hand. They host Blackburn Rovers at the Riverside on Saturday.