Gordon Strachan has spoken of his determination to land Stephen McManus on a permanent deal from Celtic.
Boro boss determined to sign Hoops defender permanently
Middlesbrough boss Gordon Strachan has spoken of his determination to land Stephen McManus on a permanent deal as he plots a promotion push.
The Celtic defender did well when he spent the second half of last term at Boro after he was recruited by his former Hoops boss.
While the Championship outfit have yet to agree a fee with Celtic to sign the Scotland defender on a permanent basis, Strachan is determined to land his man.
"Stephen wants to be here and we want him to be here," Strachan told the
Evening Gazette.
Happen
"We will make it happen one way or another. But I can't say when it will happen."
Meanwhile, Boro midfielder Rhys Williams is set to miss the start of the new season as he prepares to stay in Australia to continue his rehabilitation from a pelvic problem.
The 21-year-old missed a large spell of Boro's Championship campaign last term and was also forced to sit out the World Cup in South Africa, leading to a row between club and country.
Speaking about Williams' situation, Strachan told the club's
official website: "He will not be back in the immediate future.
Specialist
"He'll stay in Australia, there's a specialist there who's not with the Australian FA, he's a specialist that our head physio Grant Downie knows and he'll stay there for a while.
"With the body shape he's got there's not much muscle to him, so he needs to work on all that area."
Elsewhere, fellow absentees Matthew Bates, Seb Hines and Tony McMahon are all making good progress in their recovery from long-term problems.
Boro have drafted in experienced fitness coach Roger Spry to work with the players ahead of the 2010/11 campaign, although Strachan has revealed recruiting him permanently is unlikely at present because "he's got commitments all over the world".
