According to The Sun, James Beattie is expected to turn his back on Leeds United and link up with Garry Monk at Middlesbrough, as the latter begins to appoint his backroom staff at the Riverside Stadium.

Monk was unveiled as Boro’s new manager yesterday, signing a three-year deal at the Riverside Stadium, just weeks after leaving Leeds.

The 38-year old shocked Andrea Radrizzani, Leeds’ owner, towards the end of May by unexpectedly handing in his resignation as the club’s head-coach, despite enjoying a successful first 12-months at Elland Road.

Beattie is now expected to follow Monk to Boro, opting not to remain at Elland Road and stake a claim to be part of Leeds’ new coaching set-up.

The departure of Beattie will be a blow to Leeds, particularly after the impact the former England striker had on the form of striker Chris Wood during the 2016/17 campaign.

Wood enjoyed the most prolific goalscoring season of his career, finding the net on 30 occasions across all competitions, becoming just the sixth player in Leeds’ history to reach the landmark.

Despite Wood’s goals, Monk and Beattie failed to lead Leeds to the Sky Bet Championship’s play-offs, with the Whites finishing the season seventh and five-points behind sixth-placed Fulham.

Leeds fans… Are you surprised to see Beattie link-up with Monk? Is his departure a blow to your club? Let us know your thoughts!