Middlesbrough are still licking their wounds after missing out on promotion back to the Premier League last season.

After finishing fifth in the Sky Bet Championship, Tony Pulis’ side were beaten 1-0 by Aston Villa in the play-off semi-finals, leaving them facing another year of life outside the top-flight.

Pulis is now looking to rebuild his squad ahead of next season, with Sky Sports reporting that Boro are in the race to sign Paddy McNair, who is heading for League One with Sunderland.

McNair, 23, featured on 16 occasions for Sunderland last season, with the versatile Northern Irishman scoring five goals in the Championship.

There is competition from Brighton and Hove Albion in the race to sign McNair, but Boro have made their move with a bid in the region of £5m.

As expected, there was plenty of reaction from Boro’s supporters, with not everyone convinced McNair was worth pursuing…