ANNOYED boss Steve McClaren has warned his under-performing Middlesbrough stars: "You are playing for your futures."

Boro have lost their last three Premiership matches - to West Ham, Arsenal and Birmingham City - and have slipped from ninth to 13th in the space of a few weeks.

McClaren is determined to bolster his squad in the summer to ensure his side push for a European place - in the UEFA Cup at least - next season.

And the Boro boss hinted he could be pushing one or two players out of the Riverside exit door if they fail to hit the heights expected of them in the remaining fixtures against Tottenham and Bolton.

By recording good results against Spurs and Bolton, McClaren's men will also avoid a repeat of last season's dire finish of five straight defeats.

"The next two games are about who will provide us with what we need to stay here next season," said McClaren, who is hoping to be busy in the transfer market once again.

"The ability is there but we are like chalk and cheese at the moment. There has to be an improvement over the next two games. Our standards are important and we have to tell the players that."

Whether or not Boro can convince Real Madrid to part with highly-rated Geremi on a permanent basis remains a major factor in McClaren's plans.

The Spanish giants are still holding out for £9m for the Cameroon man, while Boro are hoping to agree on a reduced fee.

Once that particular issue is settled, McClaren is then likely to switch his attentions to another centre-forward, with Sunderland's Kevin Phillips understood to be one of his top targets.

Boro have struggled to find the net this season and midfielder Geremi is joint top-scorer with record buy Massimo Maccarone on just seven goals.

The Teessiders have been unable to score on 15 occasions so far and McClaren tried to find a solution in January when he bought front-men Malcolm Christie and Michael Ricketts.

Christie has enjoyed a promising start, scoring three times in six appearances, but Ricketts is yet to score in a Boro shirt and has struggled to regain full fitness since his switch from Bolton.

McClaren's hopes of ending the campaign on a high have received a boost with the news that Juninho and Geremi are both set for comebacks.

Meanwhile, Boro have reportedly been beaten by Manchester United in the race to sign young Belgian star Floribert Ngalula.

The Anderlecht midfielder is the product of the club's youth system and has been a star performer for his country's Under-16s.

It has been claimed that Boro, Blackburn and Bolton have all shown an interest in the starlet but he has opted to head for Old Trafford instead.*l Three of Boro's FA Youth Cup final team have received England Under-17s call-ups.

Sixteen-year-olds James Morrison and Andrew Taylor and Tony McMahon, 17, will join up with the squad ahead of the European Championships, which take place in Portugal from May 2-8.

* Boro's second-string can take another step towards clinching the FA Premier Reserve League title tonight. Steve Round's men take on Manchester United at the Riverside (7pm).

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