Gareth Southgate has reassured Marvin Emnes of his Middlesbrough Football Club future.

The winger has made just two Carling Cup appearances since his £3.2million summer move from Sparta Rotterdam, but Southgate has reassured the Holland Under-21 ace of his future on Teesside.

"We don't bring any players in with the belief that they must automatically go straight into the first team," said the Boro boss. "Of course we sign them because we see them as first-team players.

"But we feel that most players need time to adjust. That particularly applies to young players like Emnes. This is their first experience outside of his country and it can come as a shock to the system."