GARETH Southgate is to invite Argentina coach Alfio Basile to the Riverside in an attempt to win Julio Arca his first senior international cap.

With Arca having hit a rich vein of form since switching to central midfield, the Middlesbrough manager will urge Basile to add Teesside to his itinerary when he next visits England to watch Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano, two established members of his squad.

Since replacing Jose Pekerman in the wake of last summer's World Cup finals, a tournament that saw a highly-rated Argentinian side crash out at the quarter-final stage, Basile has promised to seek out fresh talent ahead of this summer's Copa America.

Arca, a former Under-21 international who represented his country in the 2000 Olympic Games, has never been named in a full Argentina squad.

But with the 26-year-old having emerged as Middlesbrough's most impressive midfielder after making a £1.75m move from Sunderland in the summer, Southgate insists it is time he was given a chance to impress on the senior stage.

"I don't know if the Argentina manager comes to England too often, but I would say it would be well worth him watching Julio," said the Boro boss, who is confident that Arca will shake off a minor knock to line up against Newcastle tomorrow.

"I know that the standard he has to pick from is very high but, for me, Julio would be well worth a look.

"Mascherano and (Gabriel) Heinze (of Manchester United) are very good players, but you sometimes wonder whether the fact that Julio's been over here so long means he's out of people's minds.

"Maybe being in English football for as long as he has is counting against him. That may be why he is always overlooked.

"But, for me, he is top quality. I would say he's coming into his prime in terms of experience and age, and it would be well worth the coach taking a look at him."

After carving out a lofty reputation as a versatile left-back capable of slotting into left-midfield, it would be ironic if Arca were to finally earn international recognition as a central midfielder.

The South American would be the first to admit that he did not foresee filling such a role when he swapped Wearside for Teesside in July, but the quality of his recent displays means he is almost certain to remain in the position for the rest of the season.

His tackling and technique were never in doubt to anyone who had seen him perform at the Stadium of Light, but the range and precision of his passing have proved more of a surprise.

"He has real quality and he doesn't give the ball away," said Southgate, who laughed off suggestions that Arca's international ambitions could prove counter-productive to Middlesbrough if they forced him to make lengthy journeys across the Atlantic.

"He sees a pass, has terrific composure on the ball and works terrifically hard for the team. It's possible that he runs more than anyone else on the pitch.

"Because he's played at left-back, he can defend well too and, for me, he's been absolutely incredible in the last couple of months.

"We always knew he had the quality, but the sign of a good player is someone who can play anywhere and Julio would be comfortable in any role."

Boro midfielder Jason Kennedy will today join Bury on a month's loan. The 20-year-old played 13 games on loan to Boston United earlier this season, scoring once. Kennedy has played seven times for Boro's first team but has not made an appearance in 2006-07.