GARRY MONK is ready to unleash Middlesbrough’s £40m forward line on the Championship this afternoon, but he will not be making any wild predictions about achieving promotion next May.

Monk’s aim is to take Boro straight back to the Premier League after being appointed as Aitor Karanka’s successor with the chairman’s ‘smash’ the division talk firmly in the back of his mind.

But the Middlebsrough boss knows how difficult the second tier is and realises the division is more competitive than ever with so many clubs investing heavily to try to deliver promotion.

None of the contenders have come close to spending what Monk has so far, and the likelihood is there is more to come before the end of the transfer window – even if it means other players moving on.

Gaston Ramirez completed his move to Sampdoria yesterday, believed to be for £10m, while youngster Harry Chapman has gone on a season long loan at Blackburn where he will work under former Boro boss Tony Mowbray.

Monk is only thinking of the players he has in his ranks as he prepares to name a team to face big spending Wolverhampton Wanderers at a packed Molineux this afternoon.

He is likely to name £15m buy Britt Assombalonga and £9m man Martin Braithwaite in his forward line, while he could also field £6.5m purchase Ashley Fletcher.

Throw in Patrick Bamford and Rudy Gestede, and Middlesbrough’s spending on forwards alone is more than £40m since January.

Monk said: “I'm excited by all of them. I'm enjoying my work with all of them. I see a lot of potential in the group and there is more to come. My job is to work with that potential and they are working extremely hard.”

Given the options he has available to him - having also brought in Cyrus Christie, Jonny Howson, Darren Randolph and Connor Roberts in more withdrawn roles – it is understandable why Middlesbrough are being tipped heavily to win the division.

Monk claims he is not thinking too much about that.

He just wants to ensure Middlesbrough can gel as a group, develop a winning and entertaining mentality, and hopefully the results will follow.

The former Leeds boss said: “Of course we want to try to win it with the quality we have, but we also realise how relentless it is. There is no getting away from the physical and mental side of it. You have to be prepared to roll up your sleeves.

“We have a lot of Championship experience in the squad and they know exactly what is coming.

"We want to try to win games with the mentality of rolling up our sleeves, but we also want to do it with quality and playing exciting football. That's the ideal, but no team in this league will roll over. You have to earn the right.

“We will take each game as it comes along. You are not going to win it in one game. We know over the course of the season where we are going to be, but our ambition is to be fighting for promotion.

“It’s not our problem if other teams will use big our spending as motivation. Other teams can use it however they want. We will be focused, ready and fighting every single game. If we can have our best team on the pitch, we will win games.”

Monk has tinkered with his system over the course of the summer, and last week’s final friendly with Augsburg saw him use Braithwaite through the middle with Assombalonga and Bamford on the wings. Fletcher, Gestede and Adama Traore will all hope to figure too.

But Monk said: “My tactical plans have not changed - it's always been planned that we would use different systems and different ways to play. I know what we are going to do and how we are going to implement them.

“It's an advantage to be able to play in different ways. You will see some different stuff. Teams should have as many ways of winning games as possible. It has to be very clear to players when you move to something different so they implement it.”

POSSIBLE TEAMS

Wolves v Middlesbrough

Wolves

Ruddy

Doherty Douglas Neves Boly

Coady

Jota Miranda Saiss Enobakhare

Cavaleiro

Middlesbrough

Assombalonga Braithwaite Fletcher

De Roon Clayton Howson

Friend Gibson Ayala Christie

Randolph