Downing returns to second tier Middlesbrough

LONDON (Reuters) - Four years after joining Liverpool for a fee of 20 million pounds, Stewart Downing dropped out of the top flight after signing a four-year contract to return to Middlesbrough, the Championship club said on Thursday.

(Reuters)

The 30-year-old, who made 35 appearances for England without scoring, returns to the club where he spent eight years from Premier League side West Ham United, for a fee reported to be in the region of five million pounds.

"It's an amazing signing for us. He's more than just a player," Middlesbrough head coach Aitor Karanka told the second-tier club's website.

"Nobody expected him to come here, but he wants to be here, and is completely committed to the club and the team. He is a very good person and I'm excited to work with him."

(Reporting by Tom Hayward; editing by Toby Davis)