MIDDLESBROUGH’S goalkeeping pecking order will not become clear until well into pre-season, although Seny Dieng will start the new campaign as the club’s number one.

Dieng was Boro’s first-choice goalkeeper last season, when fit, and the Senegal international will continue to start for Michael Carrick’s side next term.

Behind him, though, Tom Glover, Sol Brynn and Zach Hemming are all battling for the number two spot, and at this stage, it is hard to know who will remain on Boro’s books as the main support to Dieng and who might be moving on.

With Jamie Jones expected to remain in his role as the number three goalkeeper, used largely for training purposes, it is hard to imagine that all the club’s current keepers will still be on the books when the transfer window closes at the end of August.

Glover was the number two last season, but while the Australian international did okay when he stepped in for Dieng, he did not entirely convince and was dropped back to the bench once his fellow shot-stopper was fit.

Brynn earned rave reviews during a loan spell with League One side Leyton Orient, and the 23-year-old is due to start pre-season training with Boro in the next couple of weeks in the hope of forcing his way into the first-team picture on Teesside next season.

The same is true of Hemming, who had a similarly successful loan spell with Scottish side St Mirren last term.

“We don’t really know the answer to that (who will have what role) until they all come in,” admitted Boro’s head of football, Kieran Scott.

“Jamie Jones has a part to play because he's the only genuine number three there. Seny was clearly the number one last season, it's who is there behind that?

“Sol came back after League One finished and really impressed, he's built like a wardrobe and his feet are brilliant. So that was a real positive.

“Zach has done brilliant as well. I've watched loads of him up there (in Scotland) and he's done really well. He's a great kid, he's moved his family around on loan. The pair of them have both done so well out on loan. That's the battle.

“Then everyone loves Seny - he's done really well, and he has that experience.”