Viduka urges Boro to keep side together

MIDDLESBROUGH striker Mark Viduka is urging the club to tie up new deals for Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and George Boateng - or risk the break-up of a side he hopes is on the verge of great things.

Boateng and Hasselbaink are both out of contract at the end of the season, with the futures of the Dutch duo far from clear.

Hasselbaink last week admitted he felt his Middlesbrough days were drawing to a close, with the club making no approach over a new deal. Boro manager Steve McClaren, meanwhile, believes 30-year-old Boateng is a key member of his squad.