Chris Wilder addresses Paddy McNair's Middlesbrough future amid West Ham United and Celtic links
Celtic and West Ham United are reportedly keeping tabs on the Northern Ireland international, who has been at Boro since 2018.
Wilder believes the 26-year-old has the ability to play in the Premier League, as he did with Manchester United between 2014 and 2016, but wants him to do it with Middlesbrough.
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Hide AdThe ex-Sheffield United boss wants to build his Boro side around McNair as he is tasked with guiding the Teesside outfit up the Championship table.
“Paddy is a really good player and is somebody we want to keep and build around because he’s got all the attributes,” said Wilder.
“He’s already an international player, he’s got the attributes to play in that big league and I’m not going to shy away from that, that’s where we want to be.
“I’m not going to take the pressure off the players, and Paddy will understand that because he is a good player.
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Hide Ad"He wants to get there, and we’ve got to have other players of that calibre that supplement what we’ve got in the Paddy McNairs of this world.
“He’s a brilliant character, a really good pro and a very talented footballer who has got a mindset of wanting to achieve.
"Paddy’s attitude has been first class, and he’s somebody that we’re delighted to work with.”
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