An irked Gareth Southgate has warned Alex McLeish that he has no intention of selling David Wheater despite the Birmingham manager making his interest in the defender public this week.
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Wheater is one of a number of players whose futures will come under heavy scrutiny should Boro be relegated on Sunday and McLeish has confirmed that he is an admirer of the defender.
Southgate was unhappy with such a lack of tact from his fellow manager and remains adamant that he will cling onto Wheater should the club go down.
"David Wheater is one that we have no intention of letting go,” said Southgate. “He is a big part of the future of this club.
"I'm sure Alex will regret how his interest has come out at a fans' forum. That doesn't help the situation, I haven't had any sort of apology on the phone. You tend to be a bit loose if you are talking to your fans, but that's for Alex.
"There are players I would like to keep here, whatever division we are in.
"They are the ones I'll fight to persuade that I think it's right for them to stay."
Wheater has also pledged his future to the club amid reports that he will undergo surgery which could see him sidelined until August, potentially preventing him from moving clubs.
“The speculation doesn’t unsettle me, it’s flattering,” Wheater told the News of the World.
“I saw £9 million mentioned and I was like, ‘Flipping heck!’
“It’s madness isn’t it? But it doesn’t really bother me. I signed a three-and-a-half-year deal in February last year.
“I would like my future to be in Middlesbrough. I wouldn’t ask to leave. If they want to sell me that is another matter but I wouldn’t knock on the manager’s door and ask to go.”