Versatile Middlesbrough man Paddy McNair is a player in serious demand, as preparations for the 2019/20 campaign begin to get well and truly underway.

The Northern Ireland international, who can operate in either central midfield or in central defence, made 16 league appearances for Boro last season, in a campaign where they missed out on a play-off spot in bitterly disappointing fashion.

Nevertheless, McNair did what he had to defensively, and helped Tony Pulis' side boast the joint-best defensive record in the division at the close of play.

Now, reports from The Sun claim that Celtic and Sheffield United are set to do battle in pursuit of McNair, who signed for Boro from Sunderland for a reported fee of around £5million last summer.

The Blades will now be preparing for life in the Premier League, and it is claimed that McNair's versatility makes him a standout option for Wilder, who will be looking to strengthen his squad this summer.

Here, we take a look at McNair's statistics from last season, to see whether he could be a good signing for United...

As alluded to before, Middlesbrough were solid in defence last term, and McNair certainly contributed to that when he played.

The 24-year-old completed 1.1 tackles per game, won 1.3 aerial duels per game, and also made 1.7 clearances per game, so was clearly a commanding figure for the Teesside club.

You would expect Chris Wilder to stick to his preferred 3-5-2 formation in the Premier League, which puts emphasis on the central defenders. Jack O'Connell and Chris Basham often tended to push forward last term, and McNair would fit into that playing style.

He produced one assist for Boro last season, but also accrued a pass success rate of 71.7%, so this shows that he can do a steady job in the middle of the park as well as providing defensive steel.

He is an established Championship player, and has definitely showed signs of being able to push up into the Championship.