Middlesbrough's £3.8m signing likened to Bergkamp was an absolute disaster: View | OneFootball

Ajax's academy is fabled for its constant production line of future stars, but not every player that comes through the Amsterdam giants' system reaches their potential.

One of those was Viktor Fischer, a winger who was once heralded as one of the Dutch clubs' most exciting young prospects in recent times.

Understandably then, the former Denmark international arrived on Teesside in 2016 to a fanfare of excitement - a fanfare that would soon be drowned out by sighs of disappointment.

So why did Fischer's time in the North East go down as one of the biggest "what if" players in Boro's recent memory? Were the injuries solely to blame? Or was he simply not at the level many thought he was?

FLW investigates the Boro career of Viktor Fischer - one of Middlesbrough's most disastrous signings.

Ajax wonderkid emerges in the form of Viktor Fischer

Not many teenage footballers get the privilege of being compared to Dennis Bergkamp, but that's a measure of just how highly the Dane was thought of in his early days with Ajax.

Remarkably, before he was ready to make the switch to the Teesside, Fischer had already made 10 (20 total) appearances in both the Champions League and Europa League respectively, per FotMob.

He burst onto the scene at just the tender age of 18, with his 12 goals and four assists during the 2012/13 campaign taking Dutch football by storm.

That impressive season didn't go unnoticed across Europe either, with both the red and blue side of Manchester reportedly showing interest in Ajax's young prodigy.

Fast-forward to three seasons later, and after over 100 games and 33 goals scored in what was a hugely successful start to his professional career in the Netherlands, Fischer was ready to take his talent to the Premier League.

Middlesbrough fail to get the best out of Fischer

Fischer completed his £3.8 million switch from Ajax, and in his own words, he told Danish TV station TV2: "They (Middlesbrough) really want it. I really want it. It's the biggest league in the world and I feel really ready.

"They welcome me over there and I feel like I'm a part of it already. And that is the most important thing. I am ready."

As ready as Fischer felt, that good feeling quickly turned into frustration, as he seemingly struggled to make an impression on Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka.

The then 22-year-old winger wouldn't make his league debut until matchday four, a home game against Crystal Palace in which he'd be substituted after 57 minutes.

He'd only make four further Premier League starts before an injury in matchday 17 at home to Swansea City would mean he wouldn't play another minute in the league until the penultimate matchday of the season, at home to Southampton.

But when Fischer was available, his stats didn't paint a particularly impressive picture. His 52.6% dribble success per 90 minutes that season placed him in the lowest 29.9% percentile of Premier League wingers that season, per FotMob (meaning 70.1% of wingers scored better than this).

His 0.41 shots on target per 90 minutes put him in an even lower percentile - just 26.8%.

Relegation to the Championship followed for the club, and the prospect of second tier football was of no interest to Fischer. He left for German Bundesliga side Mainz, with spells in Denmark, Belgium and Sweden respectively over the following six years.

Injuries plagued those years - which had seen Fischer recapture some of his younger form - and the Dane was forced to retire at just 29. His Middlesbrough career amounted to just 16 appearances, with zero goals and three Premier League assists.

As was the level of his undoubted potential, his name continues to be spoken of in pre-match pub and concourse conversations of players past. Viktor Fischer, the player that could've been anything, but could only leave Boro fans wondering.