JUNINHO last night revealed he never had any intentions of playing for any other Premiership club than Middlesbrough.

Last summer the Brazilian was linked with moves to Leeds United, Aston Villa and Birmingham, but he chose to join Boro for a third spell.

And, although the attacking midfielder missed six months of the current campaign with a serious knee injury, the £3.8m price tag is already looking like a bargain.

Boro boss Steve McClaren, a former England coach, was the first to make an approach for Juninho when the pair met at last summer's World Cup in Japan and South Korea.

And the skilful playmaker, who has been impressive in both of his starts in a Boro shirt against Newcastle United and Leeds, admits he jumped at the chance to sign for his beloved Teessiders.

And the 30-year-old insists that moving to another Premiership side was never on his agenda.

"Whenever I think of England I only speak of Middlesbrough so moving to Leeds was never in my thoughts," said Juninho.

"I was never approached by Leeds anyway.

"But it would be strange if I played in England and not with Middlesbrough. That's how I feel.

"That's why I only tried to sign for Middlesbrough last summer, that was all that was on my mind.

"I would not even consider signing for another club because I support Middlesbrough in England, this is my team.

"It is my dream to play for Middlesbrough and win something, no other club comes into my thoughts."

It has emerged that Boro could still qualify for Europe next season if they improve their disciplinary record.

McClaren's men are one of the leading contenders for a place in next season's UEFA Cup via the Fair Play League.

The team that finishes top will enter the competition - provided England stay ahead of the rest in FIFA's Fair Play rankings on the international stage.

Boro are currently sixth in the standings, but three teams above them - Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle - are all already well on course to qualify for European competition.

That means the Riverside club are battling with Manchester City and Southampton to earn the right to play in the UEFA Cup through the back door.

City currently have 514 points, while Southampton and Boro have 541 points. One point is awarded for every foul, three for a booking and six for a sending off.

Last month Northern Echo Sport exclusively revealed that Boro had turned down the chance to put their name forward for an InterToto Cup place.

Meanwhile, Boro full-back Franck Queudrue has returned to training and is expected to be fit for Saturday's clash at home to Charlton.

Queudrue missed the win over Leeds with a knee injury and young defender David Murphy proved a more than capable deputy at Elland Road.

Midfielder George Boateng faces a one-game suspension after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season at Leeds. He misses the West Brom game at the Riverside on April 5.

l Middlesbrough missed out on a chance to go top of the FA Premier Reserves League last night.

Leaders Aston Villa remain ahead of the rest after returning to the Midlands with a point from their goalless draw at Billingham Synthonia.

* The next official supporters' club meeting is to be held in the Hardwick Suite at the Riverside Stadium tonight.

The meeting will start at 7.30pm and Eric McMordie and Gordon Jones will be the guest speakers.

* Former Boro target Keith Gillespie faces an uphill struggle to persuade manager Graeme Souness to give him a new contract at the end of the season.

The Northern Ireland winger's current deal runs out in the summer and the club have not made any positive noises about a new contract.

Gillespie aims to use Rovers' remaining matches to stake his claim and was superb against Arsenal on Saturday.

Souness has made it clear Gillespie faces a difficult task.

''Keith has been here for three years and it's not just about what happens in the games we have got left, but also what has happened in the past,'' said Souness.

l Celtic striker Henrik Larsson has come out of international retirement ahead of Sweden's Euro 2004 qualifier in Hungary on April 2.

The 31-year-old had earlier quit the international scene after the World Cup second-round defeat by Senegal in the summer.

But, with forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic suspended and other striking options not playing regularly, Swedish management duo, Tommy Soderberg and Lars Lagerback, wanted the in-form Hoops man to return.