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Middlesbrough's Finley Munroe completes loan move to League One after injury caused delay Finley Munroe joined Middlesbrough in January Middlesbrough left-back Finley Munroe has joined League One side Blackpool on loan for the rest of the season, with the move finally going through after injury delayed it. The move had been agreed and almost complete earlier in the window. However, Munroe picked up an injury during pre-season, which resulted in a delay, as all parties waited to assess the extent and recovery time. The 21-year-old now temporarily exits Boro having only joined from Aston Villa in January. It followed an impressive loan at League Two side Swindon Town in the first half of last season. But having assessed him as the campaign wore on, Boro have deemed that Munroe is not quite ready for regular Championship football. While he could have stayed and provided cover for Kim Hellberg’s first team, Boro still have high hopes for the left-back and decided his progress will be better served by playing regularly next term. Boro have signed Max Arfsten to play an attacking left-back role this summer, while Neto Borges is currently expected to stay. Alex Bangura is still at the club too, but was not given a squad number and has been told he can leave. Having made Munroe available for loan this summer, Boro received interest from a number of clubs in England’s third tier. In the end, the club and Munroe have decided that Blackpool will be the right destination for him to develop as they wish. On joining Blackpool, Munroe said: “I’ve had some really positive discussions with the gaffer. The way he wants to play and the ambitions he has for this season really attracted me to the Club. I think it’s a good fit for me.” Head coach Ian Evatt said: “We are delighted to have added Finley to our ranks, providing further quality to our back line ahead of the league campaign kicking off this weekend. “He is someone who has undoubted quality and is keen to progress even further here at Bloomfield Road. I believe he will be a key player for us on the left-hand side of our team and I can’t wait to start working with him.” The 21-year-old will spend the season on loan at Bloomfield Road. As is standard, the agreement will include a recall clause which can be activated during the January transfer window. But the hope on Teesside is that Munroe thrives in the north west and earns regular first-team football. Munroe joined Boro from Villa in January off the back of an impressive half-season loan spell at Swindon. Swindon boss Ian Holloway had high praise for the youngster, while not being shy of expressing his feelings about Villa’s decision to recall him early to sell. FOLLOW ON FACEBOOK! Keep up with all the Middlesbrough FC latest via the Gazette's dedicated Facebook page Holloway said: "We've just lost the quality he gave us down there. I can't get someone from Middlesbrough, who has a four-year contract, who are paying him what they have decided to pay him. "Well done to Middlesbrough for recognising it. Aston Villa, you should be ashamed of yourselves. “You let go one of the best future left-backs I have ever seen in my lifetime, and I have seen a few. Some of them played in the Premier League with me and for me. I think they have made a terrible blunder." But after joining Boro, Munroe struggled to displace loan star Matt Targett, with Boro locked in a tense promotion battle. He made only three substitute appearances in total. And with his chances expected to be the same in the upcoming season, a loan move was felt to be the best option for Munroe’s development. Middlesbrough are preparing for a big summer as they look to rebuild from the heartarche of missing out on promotion to the Premier League. Make sure you don't miss out on the latest Boro news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe. Your information will be hidden, you'll only ever receive messages from the Teesside Live sports team, and you can leave any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'Exit group'. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day's biggest stories.