GARRY MONK is hoping Ryan Shotton’s situation is resolved “sooner rather than later”, with Birmingham City still insisting the defender will not be allowed to join Middlesbrough until they have secured a replacement.

Boro have agreed a deal for the centre-half with Birmingham officials, but Harry Redknapp does not want to lose him while his own defensive resources are stretched.

Shotton was a first-half substitute in Birmingham’s goalless draw with Bolton Wanderers on Tuesday, and while his situation is further complicated by the fact that his wife is due to give birth imminently, he could find himself back in the Blues squad for tomorrow night’s trip to Burton Albion.

That is a frustration to Monk, as the Boro boss had been hoping to have the 28-year-old in his own squad this week. The transfer is still expected to go through, but it could be well into next week before Shotton is officially confirmed as a Middlesbrough player.

“The club are dealing with those matters rather than directly myself, but he’s (Shotton) a player we’re interested in,” said Monk. “We’ve made a bid and it’s been accepted.

“We would like that process to happen as soon as possible but it’s ongoing and I’ll leave it with the clubs. We’d like it to happen sooner rather than later. We know what we want to do.”

Boro return to action at Nottingham Forest on Saturday, and while Monk is not getting carried away by their strong start to the season, he admits back-to-back victories over Sheffield United and Burton have given everybody a boost.

“We’re really pleased to get back-to-back wins,” he said. “It’s important in this league to do that and try to get on runs of good results.

“There’s still a long way to go for us and a lot of improvements to be made. The team is still a work in progress, but along the way if we can pick up good results, that’s the aim.

“There’s a lot more to come from the group, but in terms of the ways of working and attitude of the players, there have been things that are pleasing.”

Daniel Ayala is back in contention for a place in the squad for Saturday’s game, but Martin Braithwaite will not be involved at the City Ground as he is currently only running rather than taking part in full training.

“Dani is back in training, and Martin is back on the grass but not in training,” said Monk. “It’ll probably be a bit too soon for Martin, but we’ll see how he progresses into the start of next week.”