Grab Your Free £20 Bet From Skybet Here Burley had to fight off competition from Championship rivals Hull for Davies' signature, and was delighted to land the versatile England Under-21 international. "He is a player I've admired for a while and he will give us extra options at the back," Burley told Southampton's website. "He is a very promising player who has good ability and experience in the top flight. He is strong, quick and good in the air, he learned his trade with Middlesbrough and there were a few clubs after him. "He's an ambitious lad and I'm pleased he's coming here." Davies made his Boro debut in a 3-1 League Cup defeat at Ipswich in November 2002, and went on to make 65 appearances for the Teessiders. (reopens) Boro boss Gareth Southgate said: "From my perspective, Andrew has been terrific since I became manager and has given wholehearted performances every time he has played. "He expressed a wish for first-team football, which is not something that I could guarantee him at this time. We wish him the best of luck with Southampton." A central defender by trade, Davies played most of his senior football for Boro at right-back as first Southgate and Ugo Ehiogu, and then the likes of Chris Riggott, Jonathan Woodgate and Emanuel Pogatetz held sway in his favoured position. Davies joined the club as a 13-year-old and progressed swiftly through the ranks. However, a broken leg hampered his progress and he had loan spells at Queen's Park Rangers and Derby as he fought his way back into first-team contention. Academy graduate Davies made 23 appearances under Southgate last season as he edged ahead of Abel Xavier and Stuart Parnaby in the pecking order, but Luke Young's arrival this summer has severely limited his chances. The England Under-21 international has played six games this season, two of them from the bench. Grab Your Free £20 Bet From Skybet Here By Bettingzone.co.uk Used with permission. CLICK BELOW FOR A FREE £20 BET FROM CORAL Written by Steve Goldby Coral, one of the UK's longest established bookmakers are offering new customers a free £20 bet. All you have to do is click below, open an account and deposit £20 and Coral will credit your account with a further £20 for you to bet on any event you like with. CLICK HERE FOR A FREE £20 BET FROM CORAL

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