MIDDLESBROUGH have announced the departure of Martin Cranie and Tomas Mejias after the duo were omitted from the club’s retained list for the 2018-19 season.

Lewis Baker, Mo Besic and Jack Harrison have also left Teesside at the end of their respective loan deals, although Boro boss Tony Pulis will attempt to set up a permanent deal for Besic before the transfer window closes in August.

Antonio Barragan, Martin Braithwaite, Julien de Sart and Ashley Fletcher all return to the ranks after spending the second half of last season away from the Riverside on loan, although it remains to be seen whether any of the quartet have a long-term future with the club.

Cranie signed a short-term deal when he left Huddersfield Town in January, but will not be retained for next season.

The defender was a fixture on the substitutes’ bench in the second half of last season, and made eight appearances as a replacement. However, his only start came in April’s 1-1 draw at Burton Albion, and while he is able to play in any of the positions along the backline, Pulis clearly believes he can acquire some better defensive options this summer.

Mejias leaves after a four-and-a-half year stint on Teesside that followed his transfer from Real Madrid. The Spanish goalkeeper, who initially moved on loan, made ten senior appearances under Aitor Karanka in the 2014-15 season.

He made six further cup appearances in the following season, but his only involvement last term came in the Checkatrade Trophy with Boro’s Under-23 team and he also spent time on loan at Spanish side Rayo Vallecano.

Boro have also confirmed the release of Under-23 players Tom Brewitt, Matthew Elsdon, Liam Hegarty, Jakub Sinior and Robbie Tinkler, as well as academy youngsters Liam Cooke, Kieran Storey and Jay Wilson.

The announcement of the retained list came on the same day that Boro announced the appointment of Adrian Bevington as their new head of recruitment operations.

Bevington, who spent almost two decades as the FA's director of communications, has worked with Boro in an advisory capacity since leaving his role with English football's governing body in 2014.

He now assumes a more formal role overseeing the club’s recruitment operations, with his appointment expected to be one of a number of backroom alterations this summer.

Boro's recruitment team has been involved in a number of reshuffles in recent years, most notably when Victor Orta was appointed as head of recruitment, only to leave towards the end of Aitor Karanka's reign.

Gary Gill has been operating as the club's head of recruitment since Orta departed, and the former Boro defender will continue in his current role.