Zack Steffen Undergoes Middlesbrough Medical Ahead of Loan Move From Manchester City

Manchester City goalkeeper Zack Steffen has completed his medical ahead of a loan move to Middlesbrough.

The 27 year-old was in the North East English city on Thursday to undergo physical tests prior to his upcoming transfer, per Paul Tenorio on Twitter.

Steffen temporarily leaves City after two full seasons at the club. 

The USMNT goalkeeper managed to make 21 appearances, with two of those coming in the Premier League.

One of these league matches was a vital step towards the 2020/21 title, with Steffen playing in an emphatic 3-1 away victory against Chelsea in January of 2021.

Despite this, the goalkeeper found his opportunities in Manchester severely limited, often having to play backup to City’s starting keeper, Ederson, who recently claimed a second successive Golden Glove award. 

Steffen impressed on most of his outings, but a poor individual showing against fierce rivals Liverpool in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley was enough to turn the tide against him.

The American failed to feature for the Premier League Champions again after that, and clearly the board lost confidence in him too with this summer’s transfer business.

Seasoned Bundesliga goalkeeper Stefan Ortega has already been signed on a free transfer from Arminia Bielefeld to provide competition for Ederson in the upcoming campaign.

Despite his team suffering relegation, Ortega impressed in Germany last season as the keeper conceded just 53 goals - the same number as title challengers Borussia Dortmund.

This deal has pushed Steffen further down the goalkeeper pecking order at the Etihad Stadium and led to the player looking elsewhere for regular game time.

Regular minutes is a priority for Steffen with the FIFA World Cup coming up in Qatar in November, as he will wish to nail down his place in the starting lineup for the US national team.

The goalkeeper originally joined City in 2019 from Major League Soccer side Columbus Crew and spent his first season on loan at Bundesliga outfit Fortuna Düsseldorf.

During the following two years in Manchester, Steffen has won back-to-back Premier League titles as well as one Carabao Cup in 2021.

Middlesbrough finished seventh in the Championship last season, narrowly missing out on the play-offs by five points.

They are in a strong position to challenge for promotion again and the club will hope the acquisition of the Manchester City man will provide the extra quality to reach the Premier League for the first time since 2017.