Boateng: No automatic choices

Middlesbrough skipper George Boateng admits even he needs to fight for a place in midfield as competition mounts.

The 32-year-old Dutchman found himself named only among the substitutes last weekend as new £5million signing Gary O'Neil was handed a first start for the club in the 2-2 derby draw with Sunderland.

Julio Arca's misfortune - he suffered medial ligament damage and will be out for at least two months - meant Boateng was introduced with just 27 minutes gone, and he will hope to keep his place for Sunday's Barclays Premier League trip to Everton.

However, even without the hugely influential Argentinian, Boateng knows the battle to catch manager Gareth Southgate's eye will be intense with O'Neil and fellow newcomer Mohamed Shawky now in contention.

He said: "There are certainly no automatic choices in midfield. I have been impressed with Gary in training. He is young and fit and capable of playing in several positions.

"Mohamed will need time to adapt to English football, but he will give us even more options. We all have to be versatile to play in different positions across midfield, and no-one is complaining about that."

tidy player

Boateng, like youngster Lee Cattermole before him, has found himself lining up wide on the right in recent weeks with Arca and Brazilian Fabio Rochemback forming a hugely productive central partnership.

He and Cattermole will battle it out to replace the former Sunderland man this weekend, although Shawky will hope for a chance after making his debut in the 2-0 Carling Cup defeat at Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night.

The Egyptian played the first 45 minutes before being replaced by youngster Tom Craddock, and Southgate is confident he will quickly become acclimatised.

He said: "He is a tidy player and that was his first taste of it. He has only been here a fortnight, so he is still adapting to the way we train and work.

"I was forced to throw him in, but I had no concerns about that. Everyone knows we want to give youth a chance."