MIDDLESBROUGH manager Steve McClaren yesterday insisted that Hamilton Ricard is part of his plans, even though the Colombian striker has started only two games this season and failed to make the substitutes' bench in the last three matches.

Boro's leading scorer in his first two full seasons on Teesside following his £2m arrival from Deportivo Cali three-and-a-half years ago, Ricard has effectively been relegated to seventh-choice striker behind Alen Boksic, Brian Deane, Dean Windass, Szilard Nemeth, Carlos Marinelli and Joseph-Desire Job.

In his last start a month ago, Ricard also suffered the indignity of being hauled off at half-time when Boro were beaten 2-0 at Everton.

Sections of the Riverside crowd barracked him last term, when he managed a mere nine goals - five in cup competitions - compared to 18 and 14 in the two preceding seasons.

Ricard has shown himself capable of conjuring goals of outstanding quality; the winner he curled home spectacularly at Bradford in the third round of last season's FA Cup was January's goal of the month on the now-defunct Match of the Day.

The 27-year-old frontman, who relies heavily on the confidence he gains from scoring, appears firmly out of favour with the McClaren regime now reshaping Boro after Bryan Robson's seven-year reign.

Despite injuries to Boksic and Windass, and new signing Nemeth's lack of fitness following a summer hernia operation, Ricard has largely been left kicking his heels, while former strike partner Deane has proved a revelation since McClaren took charge.

But the new boss, who after losing his first four Premiership matches as a manager is enjoying an unbeaten run of as many games in all competitions, has moved to dismiss suggestions that Ricard is surplus to requirements.

McClaren said: "Hamilton is part and parcel of things here. He's been out of the picture for the last three games. He's not been on the bench purely because we like to have a bit of flexibility, so we've chosen different people on the bench.

"But Hamilton has been in the squad, he's training with us and he did very well in pre-season.

"Unfortunately for him, after the first three games we shifted things around in the team and the form of Brian Deane has been instrumental in our last three results in the Premiership.

"Competition for places has to be strong and I'm delighted we've got half-a-dozen or so strikers of equal quality.''

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