The Australian international left the Owls in June and has earned a short-term deal at Boro after a successful trial.

The 29-year-old may not be the most headline signing of the summer window for the Teessiders, but it may yet turn out to be a pretty significant one.

Wilder said: "We had a peek at him from a conditioning point of view. That was the key. When you’re out of contract like that, the key question is, ‘what do you do?’

"I spoke to Darren Moore about him, and I remember him from his QPR days. He’s a very talented individual and has played 30-40 games for his country as well. He’s 29, but sometimes it’s good to have that mix as well and we’re not just going young."

Wilder made a move for free agent Luongo after deals to bring in a midfielder ahead of the deadline fell through, most notably with Brentford's Frank Onyema.

On Luongo, who had also trained at Reading ahead of the window closing and was also been interesting Birmingham City, Wilder added: “It’s good to get him in and it’s really refreshing. Circumstances meant we didn’t get in the players that we wanted.

"There were other targets that we went for and there was no secret in the fact that we went for the lad at Brentford and didn’t get him.

"But Mass is not precious about that, he had a couple options there himself as well. But as soon as this one came up, he was up the motorway as quick as he possibly could."

Last six games: Middlesbrough DDLWLW; Cardiff WDLDLL.

Referee: J Bell (Sheffield).

Last time: Middlesbrough 2 Cardiff 0; April 27, 2022; Championship.

Middlesbrough FC's Chris Wilder reveals Darren Moore input after signing Massimo Luongo