Middlesbrough were unable to achieve promotion at the first time of asking, so changes are likely.

Tony Pulis' side lost 1-0 on aggregate to Aston Villa in the play-off semi-finals, so they face another season in the Championship. Garry Monk was manager last summer and he spent heavily, but his style differs from Pulis, so more changes in the squad are likely as he brings in the players he needs.

They also have to be wary of star players leaving because another season away from the Premier League could convince them to move on if offers come in for their services.

Here are four players that are likely to be gone by next season...

Gibson is attracting Premier League interest because he is one of the top centre-backs in the Championship and proved his quality in the Premier League previously. Achieving promotion was probably the only way they could have kept him.

Losing him would be a big blow, but that's one of the consequences of an extended stay in the Championship. Replacing him will be key because him and Daniel Ayala have formed a formidable partnership at the heart of the defence. The one bonus from this move is that they could get a large fee even though they are a league lower than the teams chasing after him, which could be used to bolster the squad in multiple areas.

Johnson only joined from Oxford in the summer, but he could be another one of Monk's signings to leave the club under Pulis. He has only made two substitute appearances since Pulis became manager, so a future away from the club appears certain.

Stewart Downing occupies his role in the team while Jack Harrison provided back-up from the bench due to joining on loan from Manchester City in January. Therefore, Pulis didn't feel the need to play him and Johnson needs to force a move away in order to get back to playing regularly even if that means dropping back down a division.

Fletcher was loaned out to Sunderland in January by Pulis, so he wasn't needed then and nothing has changed since because Boro have a wealth of forward options in the side. Britt Assombalonga, Patrick Bamford and Rudy Gestede are all ahead of him with Gestede being a similar kind of player.

He was only signed last summer, but he will probably be another one to lose out after Monk was sacked by the club. It's an expensive overhaul for the club due to the sheer difference in how the two managers approach games. However, the board appear to have complete faith in Pulis' ability to produce results due to his experience.

Braithwaite was loaned out to French side Bordeaux in January, so him and Fletcher are in similar positions, although the Danish striker performed well during his loan move

His goalscoring return was promising because he scored five times as well as assisting two in 19 games. However, he opted to push for a January loan move due to being worried about the style of play under Pulis and how it would affect his World Cup place, according to Gazette Live. Therefore, he is unlikely to have changed his mind on Pulis, so a move is likely