Rav came through the ranks at PEC Zwolle, in the north east of the Netherlands. 

He was involved in the club’s first-team set-up from as young as 15, and made his senior debut as a 16-year-old in an Eredivisie match against Vitesse Arnhem. 

Standing at 6ft3in, Rav is primarily a centre-back, but has played across the backline. 

He featured 21 times for PEC Zwolle in 2022/23 season, with the team finishing second in the Eerste Divisie to gain automatic promotion to the Eredivisie.

He has represented his native Netherlands at every youth level from Under-15 to Under-20. 

Rav is the younger brother of Sepp van den Berg, also a product of PEC Zwolle, who now plays for Brentford following a spell at Liverpool.

In his first season at the club, Rav became a mainstay in Michael Carrick’s side and a fan favourite.

His impressive first campaign saw him make 35 Championship appearances, and the young centre-back was given the captain's armband away to Stoke.

Rav also helped guide the team to the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup with an impressive clean sheet against Chelsea in the first leg of the semi-final.

At the end of his first season, Rav was a double award winner after his superb start to life at Boro. The then 19-year-old scooped up Young Player and Player of the Season awards, the latter voted by the Boro fans.