Middlesbrough are on the verge of bringing Paddy McNair to the Riverside Stadium from Sunderland.

A report from the Northern Echo this morning confirmed that McNair was on the verge of completing a £5m switch across the North East, with Middlesbrough taking advantage of Sunderland’s relegation to the third tier of English football.

A deal between the two clubs appeared to be dead last week, but talks over the weekend have resurrected the deal, with Boro on the verge of securing the 23-year-old’s service at the start of pre-season.

McNair has been with Sunderland for two years, but suffered back-to-back relegations at the Stadium of Light, with the Black Cats slipping from the Premier League into League One.

Last year, McNair made 16 appearances as Sunderland were relegated from the Championship, with the Northern Irish international returning five goals.

Here at FLW, we take a look at THREE different ways Pulis could fit the midfielder into his Boro side…

McNair scored four goals in his final five appearances for Sunderland, impressing in an attacking midfield role.

Boro missed a link between midfield and attack at times last season, and although McNair isn’t a conventional No.10, he could thrive in that position and bring a real goalscoring threat.

Last season, Pulis opted for a 4-3-3 system, which McNair would fit into with ease.

The 23-year-old would comfortably feature alongside Adam Clayton and Jonny Howson in a midfield trio.

Between them, that trio would create and score goals.

McNair has incredible versatility and could help Boro in defence, where he previously played for Man United.

It’d be a surprise to see Pulis put McNair straight into his back-four, but the 23-year-old is definitely an option he could consider at times next season.

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