DETERMINED Steve McClaren is under no illusions about the task that lies ahead at Tottenham today.

The Middlesbrough boss has not tasted a League defeat on his travels since August, but he believes Glenn Hoddle's side could be Boro's toughest opponents yet.

The Londoners, fresh from a 2-0 victory at Newcastle last weekend, are in buoyant mood at present.

The excitement which White Hart Lane had been lacking pre-Hoddle has certainly returned in abundance.

And McClaren knows that his side will have to be alert against a very attack-minded Tottenham.

But the Boro chief is all too familiar with one star who will be hoping to torment the Tessiders' backline.

Veteran striker Teddy Sheringham is in the form of his life - his own words - and McClaren knows all about the player from their days at Manchester United.

The former Old Trafford No 2 is full of admiration for 35-year-old Sheringham.

"Teddy works so hard at trying to stay at the top," said McClaren. "He does extra work and keeps his body right because he knows what he needs to do to maintain his level of form.

"Nobody enjoys their football more than Teddy. He is intelligent, articulate and is the same on the field as well as off it. It's his dedication to football.

"At United Denis Irwin was exactly the same and that is why both of them are playing so well now.

"He was an excellent signing for Glenn and he is now one of the hubs of the Spurs team."

McClaren also has connections with Sheringham at international level and insists that the centre-forward is on the verge of a World Cup call-up.

Until England's last outing against Greece, in which Sheringham scored the first in a 2-2 draw, the player seemed to be out of Sven Goran Eriksson's plans.

But after that showing he has worked his way back into the reckoning for Japan and Korea 2002.

"He has again pushed himself to the forefront of England's plans," said McClaren, who revealed he would have tried to sign Sheringham had he not already agreed a deal with Tottenham.

"He did the same last year when he won the Player of the Year award.

"Before then he had not really figured and now his form has continued and he is certainly in the spotlight.

"I don't know whether Sven will select him but when you look at his form he has got to be a contender."

At Tottenham today Sheringham is not the only player who McClaren believes his players will have to keep quiet.

Uruguayan Gustavo Poyet, who caused Newcastle problems last Sunday, tends to play in the hole behind Les Ferdinand and Sheringham.

Poyet, signed by Hoddle in the summer from Chelsea, is a player who could exploit the gap in between Boro's midfield and defence.

Former Boro wing-back Christian Ziege will come up against his old employers and he too has been rejuvenated under Hoddle - the German is top-scorer with five goals.

McClaren said: "A certain amount of our pre-match talk will be about Tottenham and how we can nullify their strengths.

"But we also have to concentrate on our own game and make sure we don't forget about that."

Meanwhile, McClaren also revealed that he has allowed trialist Bruntil Hose to go back to his club Ajax

Read more about the Boro here.