GARRY MONK is adamant he does not want to lose any members of his current Middlesbrough squad in the final week of the transfer window, despite mounting interest in Rudy Gestede and Grant Leadbitter in particular.

Monk watched a much-changed Boro side cruise into the third round of the Carabao Cup this evening as goals from Fabio da Silva, Lewis Baker and Ashley Fletcher secured a comprehensive 3-0 win over Scunthorpe United.

The Boro boss promoted a number of his fringe players to the starting line-up, with the victory underlining the strength of the squad he has assembled, and while there are likely to be bids for a number of his players ahead of next Thursday’s transfer deadline, he does not want to see any more sales.

Leeds United are understood to be preparing an improved offer for Rudy Gestede, having had an initial bid turned down earlier this week, while Sunderland are poised to make a formal approach for their former midfielder Grant Leadbitter.

Monk is confident any offers will be rejected, and claims he has already waved goodbye to all the players he initially wanted to see leave.

“We don’t want to lose anyone,” said the Boro boss. “The squad has been achieved by design, and the players that are here now are ones that we want to keep. It’s more the incomings that we are focused on now, rather than any more outgoings.

“We’ve said it clearly, and the owner has said it himself – anyone that we want to keep, we can keep. We don’t have to sell anyone. That’s the way it has been, and we’ve only moved out players that we wanted to move out. It will always be that way.

“We’ve moved a lot of players out, and we actually have a much smaller squad now than there was last season, or many of the seasons before. That’s what I’m focused on.

“We still need one or two more incomings, but I can’t really wait for that window to be closed. It’ll be a bit easier for the manager. It’s about getting the right balance, but all the players are important to us now and we’ll be making sure they remain.”

Tonight’s starting line-up featured just two of the players that kicked off last weekend’s 2-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest, with the likes of Fletcher, Baker and Adama Traore making a compelling case for their inclusion in the side that will face Preston on Saturday.

Monk challenged his fringe players to give him a selection headache, and admits the vast majority responded exactly as he had hoped.

“It was a pleasing performance, and I think the key to that was the attitude and work rate,” he said. “We were playing against a side that came here full of fighting spirit and had their own quality as well, so it was important to put that there first. On top of that, we also showed our quality.

“Sometimes when you make a lot of changes, the risk is always how fluid the team will be. Credit to the players, it shows they’ve been listening to the work we’ve done and applied themselves, and they were able to go out there and make it look quite seamless. It’s important to see that and know the whole squad will be ready and know what they have to do when they are called upon.”

There were senior debuts for academy duo Marcus Tavernier and Lewis Wing, and while Aitor Karanka was often dismissive of Boro’s junior products, Monk feels it is important to have a viable route from the Under-23 set-up to the first team.

“We had two debuts tonight from Tavernier and Wing, and I’ve tried to make sure there’s a pathway for the academy players at every club I’ve been at,” he said. “The key comes down to attitude though and how they apply themselves.

“You look at them every day, and speak to the academy staff to see how they are. When that opportunity comes, are they ready and can they take it? That’s always important to have at a football club, and especially at this one. I’m keen to make sure that pathway is there and there’s an opportunity for them. They’ve done very well, but the hard work starts here.”