MIDDLESBROUGH will table a formal offer for Julio Arca in the next 48 hours after requesting the Sunderland midfielder be omitted from last night's friendly at Rotherham.

The managerless Black Cats continued their pre-season programme with a 2-0 win at Millmoor, but Arca was nowhere to be seen after a day of frantic negotiations between the two North-East clubs.

Despite their desire to keep hold of the South American, Sunderland officials agreed to leave Arca out of last night's starting XI.

But with the start of the Championship season now little more than a fortnight away, they are understood to have warned their Middlesbrough counterparts they will not be so helpful if a deal is not completed by the time the Wearsiders travel to Ireland for Monday's friendly against Shelbourne.

With full-back Franck Queudrue mulling over a possible move to Fulham, Boro boss Gareth Southgate is hoping to move quickly to ensure he is not left short of left-footed options.

While Arca is primarily a left midfielder, he is equally as comfortable at left-back and his versatility is one of the key factors behind Boro's sudden interest.

The Teessiders face competition from Spain as they attempt to secure the 25-year-old's services, with both Espanyol and Levante hoping to scupper a switch to Teesside.

But while Arca, who is out of contract next summer, is believed to be keen on a move to La Liga, the option of an extended stay in the Premiership is sure to appeal to a player who has now spent six full seasons in the English game.

Middlesbrough officials are expected to open formal discussions with both Sunderland and Arca before the Teessiders travel to Scotland for their opening pre-season game against Rangers on Saturday.

Agreeing personal terms should not be too much of a problem, but negotiations between the two clubs could be more difficult as the Black Cats are likely to hold out for a seven-figure transfer fee after denying Spanish reports of a £550,000 agreement with Espanyol.

Chairman-elect Niall Quinn had hoped to keep Arca at the Stadium of Light, and the pair recently held a frank discussion in which the Argentinian claimed he was willing to wait for an announcement regarding the identity of the club's new manager.

That has still not been forthcoming, though, and Arca's departure would represent a considerable blow so close to the start of the new campaign.

With Kelvin Davis expected to undergo a medical at Southampton later today - the former Sunderland number one was also left out of last night's game - the Black Cats' squad appears to be disintegrating as the uncertainty over the club's managerial vacancy continues to increase.

While Davis will hardly be mourned when he eventually completes his mooted move to the south coast, Arca has become a firm fans' favourite since making a £3.5m move from Argentinos Juniors in July 2000 and will be badly missed. The fact that Middlesbrough are one of the Black Cats' local rivals will only serve to rub salt into the wounds.

His 187 Sunderland appearances have brought 23 goals, a return that has clearly impressed Southgate as he looks to bolster his Boro squad.

Arca's absence was the major talking point in South Yorkshire last night, despite Kenny Cunningham making his Black Cats debut after finally signing a one-year deal at the Stadium of Light.

The 35-year-old was a 56th-minute substitute as Sunderland recorded the second win of their pre-season programme and has clearly been signed for his experience.

"It was clear that we needed leadership on the field," said Quinn, who watched last night's game from Millmoor's half-built directors' box, a structure that provided a fitting metaphor for the state of his managerial team.

"And when Kenny became available it was too good an opportunity to miss. He will set the standards for the other players, in a similar way to Steve Bould did here, whoever the manager is."

Grant Leadbitter was also in action at Millmoor, hours after signing a new two-year contract that finally put an end to months of acrimonious wrangling.

The Sunderland-born midfielder had threatened to walk away from Wearside earlier this summer, but was persuaded to commit to the club he has supported since childhood.

Leadbitter was his usual combative self during a surprisingly hard-fought first half in which Sunderland's players failed to make their supposed superiority tell against committed League One opponents.

Daryl Murphy almost added to Saturday's sensational goal at Forest Green with a third-minute curler that drifted narrowly past the right-hand upright, and Kevin Kyle should have done better than blazing wildly wide after springing the Rotherham offside trap moments later.

On the whole, though, Sunderland's bright approach work tended to falter in the final third, with Kyle in particular lacking the sharpness to capitalise on Dean Whitehead's prompting or Andy Welsh's occasional bursts down the wing.

Indeed, Rotherham's collection of lower-league journeymen and failed Premiership trainees almost sprang a surprise shortly after the half-hour mark.

Will Hoskins sent former Huddersfield striker Delroy Facey galloping clear of a static Sunderland backline, but Ben Alnwick proved he is an able deputy for Davis with a smart reflex stop.

That was as good as it got for the home side, with Sunderland claiming the lead four minutes after the re-start.

Leadbitter found Murphy on the edge of the 18-yard box, and the Irishman curled a precise left-footed finish into the bottom left-hand corner of Gary Montgomery's net.

Signed by Mick McCarthy from Waterford last summer, Murphy made just five Premiership starts last season. If this summer's form is anything to go by, he looks like making much more of an impact under the new regime.

Jon Stead is another player that will be desperate to better last term's efforts, and the striker opened his pre-season account in the 72nd minute, doubling Sunderland's lead with an assured side-footed finish after Stephen Wright's through ball had left him in the clear.

ROTHERHAM (4-4-2): Montgomery, Worrell (Wiseman 59mins), Mills (Murdoch 59mins), Sharps, Hurst (Robertson 63mins), Duncum, Cochrane (McMahon 63mins), Nicolas, Keane (Logan 70mins), Hoskins (Taylor 59mins), Facey (Newsham 70mins).

SUNDERLAND (4-4-2): Alnwick (Carson 80mins), Nosworthy (Wright 56mins), D Collins, Caldwell (Cunningham 56mins), McCartney (N Collins 75mins), Lawrence (Delap 56mins), Leadbitter (Bassila 62mins), Whitehead (Miller 62mins), Welsh (Smith 62mins), Kyle (Stead 46mins), Murphy.