Middlesbrough boss Chris Wilder has stated he wants to build his team around Northern Ireland international Paddy McNair, seemingly ruling out a January exit for the 26-year-old as he spoke to the Northern Echo.

The central defender, who can also ply his trade in the middle of the park, has been linked with moves to Premier League side West Ham United and former Scottish Premiership champions Celtic in recent weeks, casting doubt over his future on Teesside.

Establishing himself as a key figure for Boro since his arrival at the club in 2018, he signed a contract extension last December to extend his stay until the end of the 2023/24 campaign and would command a hefty fee if he was to depart in the upcoming January transfer window.

 

 

Though he has played further up in midfield under ex-boss Neil Warnock at times this season, he has been pushed back into central defence by current manager Wilder who has started the Northern Irishman in all five of his league games at the helm thus far, looking set to retain his status as one of the first names on the teamsheet.

He may have already managed to get himself on the scoresheet under the former Sheffield United manager, but his defensive work has been the most important in recent games, conceding just once in their last three matches and keeping a clean sheet in their last two.

With this and how influential he is, Wilder is keen to keep one of his prized assets at the club for the long term and has even gone as far as saying he wants to build his team around the 26-year-old.

Speaking to the Northern Echo, he said: "Paddy is a really good player and is somebody we want to keep and build around because he’s got all the attributes.

"He’s already an international player, he’s got the attributes to play in that big league and I’m not going to shy away from that, that’s where we want to be.

"I’m not going to take the pressure off the players, and Paddy will understand that because he is a good player.

"He wants to get there, and we’ve got to have other players of that calibre that supplement what we’ve got in the Paddy McNairs of this world.

"He’s a brilliant character, a really good pro and a very talented footballer who has got a mindset of wanting to achieve.

"Paddy’s attitude has been first class, and he’s somebody that we’re delighted to work with."

The Verdict:

Although there could be the temptation to cash in on him to balance the books after a summer of heavy investment, Boro need to focus on retaining some of their star players if they want to achieve their goal of getting back to the top tier of English football.

Reported interest from West Ham comes as no real surprise, with the Hammers also thought to be monitoring other players in the EFL including West Brom's Sam Johnstone, Hull City's Keane Lewis-Potter and Fulham's Aleksandar Mitrovic.

Football League World understands McNair's teammate Dael Fry is also under consideration ahead of a potential move to the London Stadium, so this possible recruitment drive from the Championship may see McNair depart.

However, they will have to launch a huge bid for his services if they want to lure him to the English capital, because at this stage with his current contract situation, the Teesside outfit are under no pressure to sell him.

A move there is possible, but it would be hard to see McNair move to Celtic with Premier League football potentially in the pipeline within the next season or two if Boro can remain on the right tracks.