GARRY MONK has suggested he could have “finished off” the job of taking Middlesbrough up this season – as his successor works on ways of ensuring exactly that happens.

Tony Pulis took over from Monk on Boxing Day and has spent the first few weeks in charge assessing the squad he has inherited. He is close to offloading his first player too, with midfielder Adam Forshaw set for a move to Leeds United.

Pulis has spoken of an imbalance and having too many players to call on, so he is keen to let more go before the transfer window closes at the end of the month.

Once he has allowed those he does not feel he needs at the Riverside to depart he will follow up the interest he has in a number of targets he has in mind.

Leeds are on the verge of beating Cardiff City to Forshaw this week, after both tabled bids knowing how the former Brentford and Everton man has not figured under Pulis so far.

The Middlesbrough manager could also be willing to listen to offers across his squad for certain players, with Adam Clayton, Ashley Fletcher and Patrick Bamford among those interesting clubs who could be let go. Fletcher is the latest to be considered by Sunderland.

Pulis - who is keen to keep Adama Traore despite growing interest from the Premier League - does not want to bring too many in this month because of the size of the squad he has inherited and his desire to be able to include academy players in his ranks too. Liverpool midfielder Marko Grujic had been considered but he has joined Cardiff on loan.

The 21-year-old Serbian midfielder has been on Middlesbrough’s radar since last summer but Liverpool are prepared to let him go to the Championship this month – and Boro are one of the leading clubs chasing his signature.

There has also been a link with Bournemouth’s Lewis Grabban after his loan to Sunderland was cut short at the beginning of the month. Given the attacking options already at Middlesbrough’s disposal that would seem a strange one.

Pulis has his players working on improvements ahead of this Saturday’s trip to Queens Park Rangers when Middlesbrough can climb into the play-off places before the FA Cup test with Brighton by collecting three points.

Middlesbrough had been expected to challenge for the title this season after a summer of hefty spending but instead they are 11 points adrift of the second automatic promotion spot; leaders Wolves are a whopping ten more points ahead.

The fact they have been left behind in the race for the top two that culminated in Monk being sacked just before Christmas, just hours after winning at Sheffield Wednesday on December 23.

The former Leeds boss was stunned by chairman Steve Gibson’s decision when it happened and remains adamant that he could have delivered what was being asked had he been allowed to.

Monk said: “I didn’t expect it, particularly the timing after coming off the back of a really good performance and three points away at Sheffield Wednesday.

“To receive that call, it will always be a shock to the system to be dismissed but the timing and how it was, it feels a bit of unfinished business. I would love to be at a club for four, five or six years to build something, that’s the ambition of most managers.

“But you are in a results business. It’s very much business-like now at clubs, the here and now. There is also the realism of the need for results now, the demands are instant now. We knew what we needed to do, it was just a shame I didn’t get the opportunity to finish it off.”