STEVE McClaren has acted to reassure Middlesbrough fans that he will be adding to his summer shopping spree.

With just over a month to go before the season begins, Boro have brought in just Nigeria striker Yakubu and Austria defender Emanuel Pogatetz, with Bolo Zenden heading through the exit door.

With a European campaign to contend with as well as domestic league and cup competitions, McClaren is determined that the slump in form his side endured at the turn of last year when injuries and loss of form took its toll won't be repeated.

And a stronger squad will go a long way to making sure the mid-season blip won't be repeated.

"We've learned from our experience in recent years that June is relatively quiet," said McClaren, who expects negotiations on an improved deal for Stewart Downing to re-convene today.

"We're working behind the scenes to bring more players in and hopefully that will develop in the next few weeks."

One of his summer acquisitions, however, will be forced to sweat it out for another week before discovering if he will have to wait until next year to make his debut for Boro.

Pogatetz will discover next Friday if his appeal against a six-month ban has been successful.

The Russian FA will wait until then before deciding whether to uphold their decision following Pogatetz's leg-breaking challenge on Shinnik Yaroslavl's Yaroslav Kharitonskiy.

The 22-year-old full back was on loan at Spartak Moscow at the time, and earlier this week he flew to Russia to make a personal apology to Kharitonskiy.

The £1.8m signing from Bayer Leverkusen was informed by the Russian FA of their intention to delay the decision, with Pogatetz hoping it will lead to a reduction in the length of ban.

Meanwhile, Pogatetz's Austria team-mate Rene Aufhauser will not be joining him at the Riverside after agreeing to a trial with Everton.

The Grazer defender held talks with Boro but has joined up with David Moyes' side who are in Austria for a training camp.

* George Boateng believes Middlesbrough can do an Everton next season - but with added style.

The midfielder says the club must set their sights on a Champions League place, having secured European football for the second consecutive season last time out.

However, in a slight dig at the Merseyside club's somewhat agricultural style, Boateng says he and his team-mates can do it with an ingredient missing from the Toffees' arsenal - panache.

"This is the year that we want a Champions League place, and I don't feel it's beyond us," he said. "If you consider that we lost about seven key players from our squad for three months or more and we still finished seventh, that's quite some achievement.

"We want to achieve what Everton achieved last season, but we want to do it in style, with better football.

"I have a lot of respect for Everton because they played to their utmost last year, but we have played better football over the years and that's how we want to achieve success."

Looking ahead to the opening day of the season, Boateng said Boro could not have hoped for a more mouthwatering game than against the reigning European champions, Liverpool.

"It will be a tough match because they will already be playing Champions League qualifiers, and may have the edge on us in terms of match sharpness," he said.

Read more about Middlesbrough here.