TONY PULIS has confirmed he will be targeting a left-back when the transfer window reopens at the start of January, as well as renewing his search for attacking players with pace.

The Middlesbrough manager spent part of the recent international break firming up his plans for the turn of the year, with Steve Gibson ready to support his manager’s attempts to improve his squad.

Attacking positions will once again be a priority, with Pulis having been unsuccessful in his attempts to sign a couple of forwards in August.

However, the Boro boss is also keen to secure some cover at left-back, with Sam McQueen’s season-long loan from Southampton having been officially brought to an end. McQueen damaged his cruciate ligaments in last month’s Carabao Cup win over Crystal Palace, and underwent surgery earlier this week that will sideline him for the remainder of the season.

“That’s (McQueen’s loan deal) not there anymore,” confirmed Pulis, who takes his side to Brentford this afternoon for a televised tea-time kick-off. “So we need to improve (in that position).

“Sam’s had a cruciate knee operation, so he’ll be out for six or seven months. It’s really disappointing because, although he hadn’t broken in and played regularly, he was a great part of the squad and gave us that cover that we needed.”

As things stand, George Friend is Boro’s only recognised left-back. Stewart Downing or Dael Fry could play in the position at a push, but Pulis will look to sign an additional full-back for the second half of the season, with Ipswich’s Jonas Knudsen a viable option. Knudsen, who was one of the players Boro considered in the summer, is about to enter the final six months of his current deal at Portman Road.

As well as assessing his full-back options, Pulis has also been looking at a number of potential targets at the opposite end of the field.

The Boro boss freely admits his side lacks pace in the attacking positions, and ideally, he would like to sign a speedy forward who could either play through the middle or cutting in from the flank. Summer moves for Jason Puncheon and Albert Adomah failed to come to fruition, but while Pulis accepts it is never easy to complete deals in January, he is hoping for more success when the window reopens.

He would also like to add to his centre-forward ranks, although any move for a new central striker could be dependent on what happens with Ashley Fletcher. Fletcher has not made a single league appearance since mid-August, and Pulis is ready to listen to offers for his services at the turn of the year.

“I think everybody knows, I’ve said it enough times, you need power and pace,” said the Boro boss. “We desperately need that, and that’s what we’re looking for.

“We’re solid enough, we’ve got midfield players who, on their day, are technically very good, and we can certainly hold our own there. But it’s the top end of the pitch where we need more goals and pace. That’s the most difficult thing as a club, to get those players in, and January is always difficult.”

Fletcher is not the only player who could leave at the turn of the year as Grant Leadbitter is bound to be frustrated at his absence from the match-day squad in recent weeks. In addition, Pulis could also opt to send Lewis Wing and Marcus Tavernier out on loan if he is able to make signings in the wide positions.

“I can’t say what will happen (with players leaving),” said the Boro boss. “The only thing I can say, the group has been absolutely fantastic. Everybody has buckled down, everybody has worked hard, everybody has given it their best whether they’ve been in the team or not.”

The last two weeks saw Boro’s non-internationals spend some of their time on a team-bonding trip to RAF Leeming. Boro’s players took part in a number of activities that tested their mental resolve rather than their physical abilities, and Pulis is hoping they will have benefited from the trip.

“It wasn’t physical, it was mental,” he said. “They were given problems and had to solve them. The RAF set them out different problems to solve, from what I was gather it was tough.

“It’s getting them together, taking them out of their comfort zone and trying to get them together as a group. Their phones were taken away so they had to work together instead of talking on those things all the time. We made sure we gave them some rest, but it was nice to do something different.”