ONLY two seasons ago Ryan Fredericks was plying his trade as an attacking midfielder in the youth team at Tottenham. Now, the 21-year-old is fast establishing himself as one of Aitor Karanka’s most astute summer signings in a different role.

Fredericks joined Middlesbrough on a season-long loan from Spurs during the transfer window to provide back-up for Damia Abella, but the youngster has found himself thrust into the spotlight after the Spaniard was ruled out for six months with a serious knee injury.

It hasn’t taken the 21-year-old long to impress either. He made his debut in the 4-0 win over Brentford at the Riverside and Boro are unbeaten in the four games he has played in.

He has looked solid in his role at right-back, while he has also shown a willingness to get forward and support in attack, but as the 21-year-old explains that side of the game comes naturally.

“I used to be an attacking right winger and in the last two or three years I've slowly adapted to being a defender,” he said.

“It was Tim Sherwood at Spurs, he saw how defenders these days were getting forward and playing like wingers and he was the one that pushed me into becoming a defender.

“I had a few questions about it, I was thinking 'I can't really defend' and it took time to learn how to defend but over the last season and a half I feel I've really learned how to play the position.”

Fredericks has picked up yellow cards in the early stages of two games, but he has demonstrated an impressive level of maturity to avoid further punishment while still keeping the opposition at bay.

Abella’s injury has presented the young defender with an opportunity to impress in his second loan spell away from White Hart Lane.

Fredericks made 11 appearances in a brief stint at Millwall at the beginning of this year, but having accepted a proposition to move further afield, the Potters Bar-born right-back says he already feels at home on Teesside.

He said: “I've settled in really well, all the lads are really good here, they've taken to me really quickly, asked me out for dinner and what not so I've been getting on the lads really well and that's helped me settle quite a lot.

“It's all open roads and no traffic, which is nice, but it is very different from being back at home.

“The first one loan is maybe not as easy, but this time it's been easy, after one or two days I was thinking 'this is my club'.

“That's another nice thing (his loan being for the full season), I haven't got to think 'will they keep me on' from month-to-month.

“I'm here for the season so I can get my feet under the table and get playing.

“The first game was more about showing I could be trusted to play so I was more playing safe and showing what I can do defensively.

“But now the games have opened up a bit and I can show what I can do offensively.

“It's never nice to come into the team that way but sometimes that happens and I suppose it's his loss and my gain.

“I thought it might take a few weeks to come in and get a game but I feel like I'm gelling with the team now and know what players can do and how they like to play so that's helping me as well.

“I feel like I'm adapting to the team.”

Fredericks has been at Spurs since the age of 15, but he wasn’t involved the last time the sides met in a pre-season friendly in Portugal.

The Teessiders beat an Under-21s side 5-0, and although the 21-year-old was sidelined through injury, he admits the game was a wake-up call that he needed to go out on loan and get some experience.

“I was there at the time but I didn't play in the game,” he recalled. “It didn't go too well for us and that was the wake-up call that I needed to go out on loan and play some proper football

“I was injured at the time, I think I was recovering after fracturing my knee so I was doing re-hab. But even just looking on I could see the difference in size between our lads and the Boro players and the way they played, it was so different I just wanted to go and play proper football.”

Boro’s Under-21s continued their unbeaten run with a 1-0 win over Hull City in the Development League Cup.

Robbie Tinkler headed in from an Andy Halliday cross on 49 minutes to seal the victory.