Middlesbrough’s Stewart Downing is a disgruntled figure at the Riverside but manager Gareth Southgate refuses to belieive it. According to Sky Sports, Southgate doesn’t want to sell the England winger even in the summer and sings praises of the youngster, saying:
”I don’t know how many times I have said it but I don’t think he realises how good he can be. He had to recover from the disappointment the night before a game of being left out of the squad. To cope with that and go out to play today – and he nearly scored the winner for us when he hit the post. He is a fantastic player. I think the world of him. He is great to work with, he is exactly the sort of character we want at the club and that we want to build the club up around. I still firmly believe he loves playing his football for us.”
Well, not everyone would but Southgate’s assessment of the 23-year old being happy in a Boro shirt. After all, he handed his transfer request last month when Spurs came calling and when Middlesbrough rejected his plea, he refused to sign a new contract. Is that what Southgate means by
“loves playing his football for us”
?