Middlesbrough manager Chris Wilder has admitted that although the club are currently prioritising short-term deals, they are open to the possibility of signing players on permanent deals this month.

Boro have already managed to bolster their squad during the current transfer window by securing the services of Aaron Connolly on loan from Brighton and Caolan Boyd-Munce, who joined permanently from Birmingham.

Whilst Connolly didn't feature for Boro in their showdown with Mansfield Town yesterday, Boyd-Munce marked his debut with a goal at the One Call Stadium.

Uche Ikpeazu gave Middlesbrough the lead in the fourth-minute as he fired past Stags goalkeeper Nathan Bishop.

Boyd-Munce then doubled Boro's advantage before Mansfield pulled a goal back via a header from Oliver Hawkins.

The League Two outfit levelled proceedings in the 85th minute via a strike from Rhys Oates.

With the FA Cup clash seemingly heading towards extra-time, Isaiah Jones' effort was diverted into his own goal by John-Joe O'Toole.

Following his side's victory over Mansfield, Wilder shared a transfer update.

Speaking to Teesside Live, the Middlesbrough boss said: "We're looking at different deals.

"The main ones are of course the shorter-term ones that are going to help the group in the next three or four months for the second half of the season.

"But if there's something that comes up that we think is a decent one for us then we will move forward with it, like we have done with this one [Munce]."

The Verdict

This is a wise stance for Wilder to take in terms of signings as January can be notoriously difficult to complete permanent moves for players and thus it is hardly surprising that the Boro boss is prioritising loan deals.

With Folarin Balogun expected to seal a temporary switch to the Riverside Stadium in the coming days, it will be intriguing to see whether he can follow in Boyd-Munce's footsteps by producing an eye-catching display on his debut for Boro.

Currently seventh in the Championship standings, Middlesbrough will be hoping that their new recruits will be able to help them achieve their goal of securing a play-off place later this year.

Having won their last four games in all competitions, Boro will fancy their chances of securing all three points in their showdown with Reading next weekend.