Manchester City assistant manager Mikel Arteta has no intention of leaving the Premier League champions to take the Middlesbrough job.

The 37-year-old emerged as one of the favourites with the bookmakers for the job in the past 24 hours and he would fit the profile for the type of boss Steve Gibson is looking to appoint in terms of the style of play he encourages.

However, Teesside Live have revealed that the former Arsenal player is not looking to leave City right now and is enjoying learning from Pep Guardiola.

They add that Arteta knows he is in the frame to succeed Guardiola when the manager does decide to leave his current role.

Therefore, the only way he could consider leaving now is if a top European club put an offer on the table, so a move to the Championship does not appeal.

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So, the search continues for Boro and the report states that Jonathan Woodgate remains a strong contender for the role having worked on the backroom team in the past.

However, former Boro player Michael Reiziger and Aston Villa assistant John Terry aren't contenders for the role.

The Verdict

This is a shame for Boro as when the fans saw that Arteta was linked with the role they would have been excited about what he could bring to the team.

He is a very highly-rated coach and would encourage fast, attacking football.

But, he has a great job at the minute and you can understand why he is reluctant to leave so Boro will have to continue the search for Tony Pulis' successor elsewhere.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.