MIDDLESBROUGH expect to discover tomorrow whether their pursuit of Afonso Alves has been fruitless, but Luke Young feels the existing squad already have plenty of goals amongst them.

Boro have scored more than once on only seven occasions this season, and have yet to find the net three times in the same game.

That lack of firepower is why they need a 20-goal a season striker. Alves, 49 goals in 49 matches for Heerenveen last season, fits the bill but because of his contract dispute there is no certainty he will sign.

The Dutch Federation have arranged a meeting between Heerenveen, who hold the player's registration, and AZ Alkmaar, with whom the Brazilian has signed a pre-contract.

An outcome is expected tomorrow which will indicate to Middlesbrough whether or not they are in a position to meet his existing employers' valuation.

It could be that a compromise agreement will have to be reached, where the Teessiders would pay a transfer fee to Heerenveen and then a further sum to AZ, which could total as much as £12m.

But while defender Young feels a new acquisition would be welcome, he suggested Tuncay Sanli, Jeremie Aliadiere, Mido and Dong-Gook Lee can boost Boro's chances of avoiding relegation.

"Sometimes chances don't go in and when you are standing at the back, looking on, as a defender you just have to hope they do," said Young.

"Perhaps missing chances can highlight why we need a new goalscorer, but some of the chances we missed at Blackburn we would normally have scored nine times out of ten. It is often the case that they all arrive in one game."

Only Tuncay has found the net four times this season, while he should have added to that when he missed a simple tap-in during Saturday's draw at Ewood Park.

Had he done so, he would have gone level with top-scorer Stewart Downing on five goals and that profligacy from the strikers is one of the main reasons why Middlesbrough are where they are in the table.

"We have to be more clinical in games," said Young. "It was disappointing at Blackburn because we should have had three points there. We know that whoever the chances fall to they have to take them.

"When you are playing at the back and you see the chances which are being missed you do feel 'it's not our day'. But Tuncay missed a chance at Blackburn that he would normally put in with his eyes closed. You can have those days and you just have to learn from them."

Had Boro scored one of the gilt-edged chances that fell to Tuncay, Aliadiere, Downing or David Wheater they would now be a comfortable four points clear of the drop zone.

Climbing up into the top ten would do Young the world of good if he has intentions of breaking into the England squad again, following the appointment of Fabio Capello.

The Italian takes charge of his first game on February 6, when Switzerland travel to Wembley, and Capello and his backroom staff have been taking in numerous matches to cast an eye over the English talent.

At Ewood Park on Saturday the new manager's assistant, Franco Baldini, was was in attendance to examine Young, Stewart Downing and David Bentley, among others.

But Young, who has seven caps for his country, is unconcerned. He said: "I am not thinking about England. I'm concentrating on Middlesbrough. We are so close to the drop zone that I don't want to take my eyes of what is happening at club level."

Boro youngsters Jason Steele and Josh Walker are in the England Under-19s squad to play Croatia on February 5 at Swindon's County Ground.

Boro have sold out their allocation of tickets for Saturday's trip to Mansfield Town in the fourth round of the FA Cup