Strachan ponders why so few Middlesbrough players married!

Middlesbrough boss Gordon Strachan is perplexed by the shortage of married men within his team.

While that may be a by-product of the youthful nature of his first-team squad he believes it raises important issues regarding personal responsibility, reports The Times.

"[Emmanuel] Pogatetz is one of only three players in the squad that are married, which is quite unbelievable in a world that should be for men," Strachan said. "I have never come across that in my life. That's how young we are, but it's a big miss.

"I'm not saying you have to be married to be a good footballer. I'm just saying it felt strange to come to a club where there are only three members of the first-team squad that are married. You need responsibility in life."

However he does not intend to seek out eligible partners for Middlesbrough’s bachelors. "I'm not going about finding wives for them, it was just a shock to me," he said.