MIDDLESBROUGH boss Steve McClaren last night paid tribute to England new-boy Jonathan Greening.

The 23-year-old was yesterday named in Sven-Goran Eriksson's latest squad for a get-together on November 18-20.

Greening has been called into Eriksson's 26-man pool of players and McClaren believes it is exactly what the player deserves.

"It's excellent reward for Jon and his tremendous hard work and the belief he has had in himself," said McClaren.

"It is justified after his excellent performances this season and we are all very, very pleased for him and extremely proud."

Greening will meet up with the squad at Champney's Health Club in Hertfordshire on the evening of November 18, and train on Tuesday and Wednesday morning.

It is understood that Eriksson sees Greening as a potential answer to the problem left-side currently dogging the national team.

The versatile hard-working middle-man has proved he can do a job on both flanks during his time at Boro, as well as playing in a three-man centre-midfield with Geremi and George Boateng.

Greening turned in a man-of-the-match display in the 1-0 victory over previously-unbeaten Liverpool on Saturday.

And that was further proof of the former Manchester United man's turnaround in fortunes on the pitch at the Riverside.

Greening struggled to come to terms with life in the Premiership last season after signing for £2.5m from the Old Trafford club.

But, after a change in his fitness and training schedule over the summer, Greening has started the 2002-03 campaign on fire and his inclusion is just reward for his lively displays.

The experienced former England Under-21 international - he has 17 caps at that level - has blossomed over the last few months to become the kind of influential player the manager always believed he would become.

And, speaking recently, Greening believes he feels a lot more confident now whenever he goes out on to a pitch.

"I'm not really sure what the reason is - it's probably just the benefit of having my first season playing really," said Greening, who is joined in the squad by teammate Gareth Southgate.

"I feel stronger and probably more relaxed than I did last season and maybe that's showing in my football."

But while Greening celebrates his first call-up and Southgate receives yet another, Boro defender Ugo Ehiogu was left out.

Despite another convincing display against Liverpool, Ehiogu seems destined not to figure in Eriksson's plans.

The 30-year-old was named in the England manager's last squad, but he played no part in either of the European Championship qualifiers against Slovakia and Macedonia, despite injuries to fellow centre-backs.

The Boro star now faces a tough fight to get back into Eriksson's thinking as the Swede has Southgate, Rio Ferdinand, Sol Campbell and Jonathan Woodgate ahead of the Hackney-born defender in the pecking order.

It is a big blow to Ehiogu, who was also left frustrated during the summer when he failed to make the World Cup squad for Japan and South Korea.

Boro also received more good news on the international front yesterday when teenage full-back Stuart Parnaby was called up to attend David Platt's England Under-21s get-together at Burnham Beeches next week.

Meanwhile, Boro defender Tony Vidmar has revealed his delight at forcing his way into McClaren's first team plans.

The former Rangers star has had to bide his time on Teesside since arriving in the summer and Saturday was only his second Premiership appearance of the season.

But he impressed at left-back in the absence of suspended Franck Queudrue and he was determined to take his chance.

"It's been a bit of a waiting game for me," he said. "But I've been patient and that has kept me in good stead.

"You never know when you'll get a chance and when you do you have to perform on the day."

The 33-year-old admitted that a victory over the weekend was the perfect way to bounce back from the derby defeat at Newcastle last week.

He said: "It was important that we got a good result following the loss to Newcastle.

"If we hadn't won against Liverpool we would have fallen into the bottom half of the table and that would not be a reflection of the way we have played this season at all."