HE has been part of a Carling Cup-winning squad, played in a UEFA Cup final and represented his country in a World Cup finals, but Middlesbrough midfielder Stewart Downing claims that avoiding relegation would top anything he has achieved in his football career.

Boro will go into tomorrow’s away game at Arsenal looking to claw back a threepoint gap to safety, and with league leaders Manchester United due to visit the Riverside next weekend, Gareth Southgate’s side face a titanic tussle if they are to retain their Premier League status.

As a born-and-bred lad from Pallister Park, Downing is only too aware what relegation would mean for both Middlesbrough Football Cub and the whole of Teesside.

And while he has scaled some notable heights during his eight years in the game, he readily admits top-flight survival would trump anything he has achieved in the past.

“Staying up would be the biggest thing I’ve done in my career,” said Downing, who has started all 33 of Middlesbrough’s Premier League matches this season. “It would certainly mean the most to me.

“I’ve been here eight or nine years now and seen this club build. There have been so many highs and lows – big signings, a couple of new teams, a couple of managers, the UEFA Cup, the Carling Cup, struggles in the league.

“It’s been a great ride and I’ve been lucky to be involved, but I would hate to see it all ruined with us being relegated.

“If we were to go down, that would be the only thing you would think of. So if we do stay up, that would be the achievement that would immediately spring to mind if I was asked to talk about my career.

“I would be able to say that we had a right go, gave our all, dug in there right at the end, and stayed up when we were being written off left, right and centre.”

It would also enable Downing to hold his head high when he meets Southgate and chairman Steve Gibson to discuss his future at the end of the season.

When his transfer request was rejected in January, the 24-year-old was promised that detailed talks would take place this summer in an attempt to resolve a conflict of interests that saw his relationship with Middlesbrough almost break down completely in the face of sustained interest from Tottenham.

Downing is widely expected to leave the Riverside before the start of next season, with Spurs, Liverpool and Everton all expected to compete for his signature.

But if he is to go – and he is still to publicly confirm his intentions – he is desperate to leave a club in the Premier League.

“My situation will be resolved in the summer,” said Downing. “I’m only concentrating on keeping the team in the league. Hopefully, we’ll get safe, then I’ll sit down with the chairman and manager and discuss my situation.

“But that’s firmly in the back of my mind at the minute. I just want to help get the team and club to where we want to be.

“My personal aim is to make sure Middlesbrough are still a Premier League team at the end of the season. Staying in this league would be a massive achievement, and whoever is here or not here next season would be able to say they did their bit. Hopefully, that would be enough for people.”

Having previously admitted that January’s fevered speculation had a detrimental effect on his performances, Downing is understandably reluctant to enter into a detailed debate on his future at such a pivotal stage of the campaign.

But having represented England in the 2006 World Cup finals, the winger admits the 2010 finals in South Africa are never far from his mind.

And for all that Fabio Capello claims he will pick players on form rather than reputation, he is unlikely to be too keen on selecting players from the Championship.

“I’m desperate to go to the World Cup,” said Downing.

“Fabio Capello has told me that if I’m playing well, I’ll be in the squad, but he wants his players to be performing at the highest level. That’s why my aim is to keep us up.”