GARRY MONK and David Wagner both feature on Middlesbrough’s shortlist of potential candidates for their head coach role – but Steve Gibson will have to play a waiting game if he wants to appoint either at the Riverside.

Steve Agnew held a debriefing session with his first-team squad at Boro’s Rockliffe Park training ground yesterday, but was not in a position to shed any light on his future following the end of the Premier League campaign.

Agnew is expected to meet Gibson this week to discuss his 11-game spell in charge, and while the Boro chairman accepts the former assistant has done all he could since replacing Aitor Karanka, he is unlikely to offer him an opportunity to lead next season’s fightback in the Championship.

Instead, Gibson is set to look elsewhere, although his interest in Monk and Wagner is complicated by both managers’ current positions. As of last night, Sunderland could also be in the market for both bosses.

Monk was the subject of sustained support in the betting markets over the weekend, and is now an odds-on shot to be appointed on Teesside.

His stock has risen significantly this season despite his failure to guide Leeds United into the play-offs, and he is yet to sign a new contract at Elland Road, with his current deal due to expire next month.

Monk has been offered a new deal in West Yorkshire, but has consistently refused to talk terms until Andrea Radrizzani completes his impending takeover of the club.

Radrizzani is on the verge of securing ownership of Leeds from Massimo Cellino, and Monk wants to sit down with the Italian to discuss his plans for the Elland Road outfit and his proposed budget for this summer’s transfer window.

Sources in Yorkshire claim Monk would like to stay in his current role to complete the job he began this season, but would look to move elsewhere if he did not feel he had the resources to mount a viable promotion push next term.

Gibson has pledged to “smash the Championship” in the wake of Boro’s relegation, and is set to offer a new boss a transfer kitty of around £30m this summer. That makes the Teessiders an extremely attractive proposition, although Boro will not be able to hold face-to-face talks with Monk until Leeds’ off-field position becomes clear.

Radrizzani’s takeover had been due to go through at the start of this week, but the timetable keeps being shifted back and it could now be next week before the finer details of his ownership are agreed.

Wagner will definitely be off limits until next Monday as he is preparing to lead Huddersfield Town into the Championship play-off final against Reading.

If the Terriers win at Wembley, their German manager will be remaining at the John Smith’s Stadium to lead them into the top-flight. If, however, they come up short in six days’ time, Wagner will look elsewhere to further his career.

Norwich City have identified him as the number one option for their own managerial vacancy, and it is significant that the Canaries appointed Stuart Webber as their new sporting director last month.

Webber was previously Huddersfield’s head of football operations, and was the driving force behind Wagner’s move to the West Yorkshire club. With Norwich looking for a long-term successor to Alex Neil, Webber has been pushing Wagner’s claims at Carrow Road.

The former Borussia Dortmund assistant boasts a number of similarities to Aitor Karanka, having worked alongside Jurgen Klopp prior to his move to England. His appointment at Boro would make a lot of sense as it would prevent the need for a radical backroom overhaul.

Gibson has also considered the credentials of Nigel Pearson, having opted against making a move for the former Leicester and Derby boss in the immediate aftermath of Karanka’s departure.

Pearson remains a potential option, with Gibson not believed to regard Ryan Giggs as a viable contender despite the former Manchester United winger being widely touted as a candidate.

Boro’s summer overhaul effectively began yesterday, with Alvaro Negredo, Calum Chambers and Brad Guzan all bidding farewell to their former team-mates.

Negredo, who has already been linked with a possible move to Galatasaray, and Chambers, who is a potential target for Newcastle United, will return to Valencia and Arsenal respectively following the end of their loan deals, while Guzan is heading to the MLS to link up with Atlanta United.

Victor Valdes will also be leaving because of a relegation release clause in the deal he signed last summer. Manchester City are at the head of a long list of suitors and are hopeful of signing the former Spain international.