GARRY MONK is ready to make Stewart Downing an integral part of his first-team plans if the winger remains with Middlesbrough beyond Thursday’s transfer deadline.

Downing was told he was free to look for another club earlier this summer, but while Birmingham City have made a number of attempts to take him to St Andrew’s, Harry Redknapp has been unable to put together an acceptable financial package.

Having signed a four-year contract when he returned to the Riverside in 2015, Downing has not actively sought to leave this summer, and as things stand, there is a good chance he will still be a Middlesbrough player when the window closes on Thursday night.

That has the potential to create a difficult position, but Monk has been impressed with Downing’s conduct in the last couple of months and is ready to offer the former England international a first-team lifeline if he does not move on in the next five days.

“I’ve got a fantastic relationship with Stewy,” said the Middlesbrough boss, ahead of this afternoon’s Championship game with Preston. “What we spoke about in the past, I’ll keep that between the two of us. But I’ve always said that when you’re in the building and working every day, football can sometimes be a strange business.

“You have to be ready because you never know when an opportunity might come along. You have to work hard and show commitment because you never know what might happen.

“Every day you’re at a football club, you should be working and showing commitment because they pay your wages and you should be committed to that football club. That’s the key, no matter what your situation is. Stewy has been exactly that. He’s been committed and he’s worked hard.”

Having failed to feature in the opening four league games, Downing made his first appearance of the campaign as a second-half substitute in Tuesday’s Carabao Cup win over Scunthorpe United.

He showed no signs of ring-rust after replacing Marcus Tavernier, and for all that his future has been in doubt all summer, he could yet prove a valuable asset as Boro look to bounce back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

He was a key performer in the club’s last promotion campaign, and his extensive experience could be a useful commodity in a promotion race that could well go down to the wire.

“He had an opportunity on Tuesday, and took it and played very well,” said Monk. “Things change quickly in football, but I’ve said all along that whenever a player is under my management, I’ll try to push them.

“In football, your job as a player is to be ready. When that window closes, the squad will be the squad, and we’ll all be fully focused for the season ahead.”

Monk remains keen to make two more additions before the window swings shut – Ryan Shotton and Jota are still his leading targets - but having completed the majority of his business prior to the start of the season, the Boro boss’ main focus is on blending the squad he has already assembled.

He has signed a mixture of older and younger players, and is clearly excited at the prospect of working with the likes of Ashley Fletcher, Lewis Baker and Connor Roberts to try to make them better players.

“I enjoy working with all players, experienced players as well, but I especially enjoy working with young players and giving them an opportunity,” he said. “You try to improve them, and get great satisfaction out of that.

“It’s great, and that’s what you enjoy as a manager. You know the type of group you want to get and mould, and I think we’ve done that and designed it in the right way. There’s still a long way to go in terms of that development, but of course it excites you, what the capabilities are and what you can see glimpses of.

“You can see what they can be, but sometimes they don’t realise that themselves and you have to open their mind and let them see it for themselves.”