Celtic and West Ham United target Middlesbrough and ex-Sunderland ace Paddy McNair

McNair is versatile and can play in either midfield or defence and has impressed since joining the Riverside outfit.

Wilder, who replaced Neil Warnock in the Riverside hotseat, is a fan of McNair and hopes to keep him – and build around him.

“Paddy is a really good player and is somebody we want to keep and we want to build around because he’s got all the attributes," said Wilder.

"He is 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. He wants to get there and we’ve got to have players of that calibre that supplements 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 somebody that we are delighted to work with,” he told Teesside Live.

Meanwhile, Middlesbrough’s allocation of 2,500 tickets for the New Year's Day trip to Sheffield United has now sold out, the club has confirmed.

A waiting list for any returns is being taken, call 01642 929421 to be added.

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