Gary McAllister looks almost certain to join Gerard Houllier at Aston Villa as his assistant despite the efforts of Gordon Strachan.
Boro boss Strachan has tried to convince him to stay with him at The Riverside but it now appears that he will be on his way to Villa Park where he will link up with his former Liverpool boss Houllier.
The former Leeds boss does not appear to have been Houlier's first choice as Patrice Bergues, Kevin MacDonald and Phil Thompson have all ruled themselves out of the running and Dietmar Hamann has decided he wants to continue playing with MK Dons.
Strachan, who brought McAllister back into the game after he was sacked as Leeds boss, looks almost resigned to losing him, saying: "There has been contact between the clubs.
"Gary and myself will talk about it."