McClaren to step up bid to sign Sinclair

MIDDLESBROUGH boss Steve McClaren was last night preparing to step up his bid to land West Ham midfielder Trevor Sinclair after finally admitting defeat in his bid to sign Geremi.

McClaren has been preparing for the worst for some time after the Teessiders reached an impasse with Real Madrid over the Cameroon international. And his worst fears were confirmed yesterday when cash-rich Chelsea agreed a £6.9million fee with the Spaniards 12 months after the London club’s failure to get their man enabled Boro to broker a loan move.

It has been a bad few days for McClaren, who learned last weekend that defender Ugo Ehiogu will be out of action for up to six months after rupturing his cruciate ligament.

The Teessiders have endured a frustrating summer after missing out on David Dunn and Brett Emerton, while tragic Cameroon international Marc-Vivien Foe was also on the manager’s list. However McLaren d etermined to strengthen his squad, with Sinclair and Brazilian Doriva now the focus of attention.

Meanwhile, McClaren is hoping Juninho will take advantage of a full pre-season to show the Premiership what he can do once again. The 30-year-old was out of action until March after rupturing his cruciate ligament, but had a huge impact on his return.