JULIO Arca has thrown his support behind Middlesbrough manager Tony Mowbray and insists the club is in good hands despite another failed attempt to get back into the Premier League.

Arca llast month left the club after seven years on Teesside when his contract was terminated by mutual consent, and it appears he will be followed through the doors by Nicky Bailey.

The former Charlton Athletic midfielder is out of contract and appears looks to be moving on after the club decided not to offer a new deal.

Arca has been through the good and the bad during his time at the Riverside and was most recently part of the squad Mowbray had hoped would be good enough to seal promotion to the top flight.

However, Boro bowed out of another disappointing season with a 2-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday, meaning they will spend a fifth year in the Championship despite being joint-top in December.

The manner in which Middlesbrough's season fell away caused increasing concern among some sections of supporters, who are questioning whether the Saltburn-born manager is the right man to guide them to promotion.

However, Arca insists the club is in good hands and the 32-year-old believes that having both Mowbray and chairman Steve Gibson at the helm is the only way forward.

"I think having the chairman supporting the manager and both supporting the club is very important and that's what it is here," Arca said.

"Even though this year has been disappointing, the chairman has said the manager will stay and he will have to work out something to get back to the Premier League, but the club is definitely in good hands."

Mowbray has started the search for new recruits and having seen a number of out-of-contract players leave, including Arca, Stephen McManus and Kieron Dyer, his squad needs strengthening.

However, with a shoe-string budget, Mowbray will have to scour the free transfer and loan markets, while some of the club's younger players could be given bigger roles.

Arca admits the squad needs a boost, but believes the club has a number of young prospects capable of making the step up.

He said: "They have some good players. The quality is here. The manager might need to do something else and bring in some different players, but they have what it takes to get promoted and hopefully next year they will have more luck and get it.

"There are young players there that will get chances to show the manager what they can do.

"Jason Steele is a great example, he has been incredible for someone so young. You don't see many keepers playing every week at that age and there's others who are climbing up and Dave Parnaby is working wonders.

"He has already showed in the last ten years with all the players that have come through and moved on to Premier League clubs."