STEVE McCLAREN has predicted Middlesbrough's Spaniard Gaizka Mendieta is set to become one of the major stars of the Premiership.

The midfield maestro hopes to taste victory for the first time in a Boro shirt when Newcastle United make the trip to the Riverside this afternoon.

The home supporters who will pack into the Teesside arena have already been wooed by the creative flair of Mendieta - he set up Szilard Nemeth's goal against Chelsea in Boro's last outing.

But manager McClaren insists his signing from Lazio in August is nowhere near his best, citing a calf injury and a non-existent pre-season in this country as the reasons why.

And the Boro boss, who has been impressed with the player's gregarious and down-to-earth persona, has told Mendieta not to give up hope of playing for Spain in next summer's European Championship.

"He has the ability, the attitude and he will do the work for the team," said McClaren, who has worked with a long list of stars during his time with Manchester United and England.

"If he continues like that he will be a massive asset for us. He is only 70-80 per cent fit as well.

"He is a fantastic professional. He's been, arguably, one of the best players in Europe yet he is still a very, very humble guy.

"That is an ingredient that is in every top person.

"When I met him for the first time and spent three-quarters of an hour with him I could tell what his ambitions are."

When Mendieta arrived in the North-East on a five-year deal - the first of which is initially a loan - eyebrows were raised as to his reasons behind coming.

He struggled to adapt to life in Serie A and was farmed out on loan to Barcelona last season.

But McClaren is convinced the 29-year-old, who cost Lazio almost £30m just over two years ago, has not just come over here to make up the numbers.

"I think through matches he will become an all-action player for us," said McClaren. "He's not just a player who will wait for the ball to come to him.

"He tracks back, he tackles players and his attitude is exemplary. Once he has got the fitness to do that all game then he will only get better.

"I don't know why it didn't work out in Italy. Sometimes you get circumstances like that. No player, however good, can stay at the top of his game all his career. They do have troughs.

"I don't think he was enjoying his football and he's come here to do that."

Mendieta will be part of an appetising midfield battle against the Magpies today, which also includes the likes of Kieron Dyer, Bolo Zenden and Laurent Robert.

Boro and Newcastle are both at the wrong end of the table and defeat for either side will mean a place in the Premiership's relegation zone.

But McClaren believes it will not be too long before both sides are climbing up the table again.

And he is keen for his team to follow in a similar path to that which Newcastle took when Sir Bobby Robson took over.

"Newcastle had a bad start and we had a bad start so I was always intrigued by Bobby Robson's handling of the situation," said McClaren.

"He knows, like I know, what is in his squad and what it is capable of.

"I did make comparisons when I first came to Newcastle. Bobby, in his first two years, guided them to 11th and 11th, then they rose to fourth.

"They have had quite a bit of investment since then but they needed that to build a foundation for what Newcastle have achieved.

"We'd like to think that we are going along the same lines in that we have built a foundation for the future. There's been a massive turnaround here.

"Now we need to go to the next level. But when I first came here I signed a five-year contract and I had a five-year plan. We are pleased with the turnaround we have made and the squad we have here.

"And now we have to target the real quality players to make that next step."

Striker Massimo Maccarone and skipper Gareth Southgate are both back in contention for Boro places after recovering from injuries.

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