GORDON Strachan will be confirmed as Middlesbrough’s new manager later today, and defender Sean St Ledger admits the entire Boro squad will be playing for a place in the Scotsman’s plans when they turn out at Preston tomorrow afternoon.

Strachan travelled to the North-East last night to put pen to paper on a contract that will see him succeed Gareth Southgate at the Riverside.

The former Coventry, Southampton and Celtic boss finalised the terms of his deal yesterday morning, and will be officially appointed as Middlesbrough’s 27th permanent manager later today.

However, he will not take charge of tomorrow’s Championship game at Preston, with first-team coach Colin Cooper taking charge of managerial affairs at Deepdale with assistance from fellow coach Steve Agnew and goalkeeping coach Stephen Pears.

Strachan will reshuffle the existing backroom staff next week, with his long-term assistant Garry Pendry expected to accompany him to Teesside.

There will be no change to the current Academy structure though, with chairman Steve Gibson having ruled out any alterations to the existing system that has produced a succession of first-team players in recent years.

Strachan will watch tomorrow’s game at Preston from the stands and take charge of his first full training session on Monday morning.

He will make his managerial debut for Middlesbrough when Plymouth visit the Riverside next Saturday, and St Ledger admits no one can take their place in that game for granted.

The centre-half is eligible to play against his permanent employers despite being on a three-month loan from Preston with a view to a permanent transfer in January.

Southgate was instrumental in setting up the arrangement, so while a full-time switch would have been inevitable had the former Boro boss remained in his position, Strachan could decide to pull the plug on the deal and send St Ledger back to Lancashire at the turn of the year.

The Republic of Ireland international must effectively start proving himself again, but with Jeremie Aliadiere the only Boro player to have played under Strachan, during an unsuccessful loan spell at Celtic, everyone will be under the microscope in the next couple of weeks.

“Everybody has to prove themselves,” said St Ledger, who spent three seasons at Deepdale before moving to Middlesbrough in September.

“We’re all in the same boat and we know we’ll be under the spotlight once the new boss comes in.

“A player who thought they were going to start every game with Gareth might have doubts at the back of their mind now because the new manager will come in with new ideas.

“I still want my transfer to go through, but with the new manager coming, I have to prove I am worthy of staying here.

“It’s a different situation because Gareth did want to sign me, but I just have to show the new manager I am worthy of staying like everyone else does.”

Tomorrow’s return to Deepdale was always going to be an emotional occasion for St Ledger, but the game has assumed an extra dimension following Southgate’s abrupt departure on Tuesday night.

Southgate was still the boss when St Ledger drove from the Riverside car park in the wake of his side’s 2-0 win over Derby, and the Irishman had almost reached his family home in Preston by the time he learned of his former manager’s departure.

“It can’t happen very often in football that a manager loses his job after a win, and at the time it was a major shock to me and all the lads,”

said St Ledger.

“I was nearly back in Preston when I found out, and I was getting grief because I was on the phone all the time trying to find out if it was right.

“We’re one point off the top of the league and we’d just won at home, but the chairman has explained his reasons why he did it.

“I’ve been in a similar situation when Paul Simpson left Preston, but we were struggling at the time so it was probably more expected.

“Here, we are a point off the top and it seems tough, but the chairman is the main man and as a football club, we have to stick by his decision. He makes those decisions, and I am sure he feels it is right.”

Gibson has appointed Cooper as caretaker manager, and the Sedgefield-born coach was quick to pay tribute to Southgate after working alongside him for the last three-and-ahalf years.

“It’s been a really difficult week,” said Cooper. “Gareth might be a southerner, but he came in and represented this club superbly as a player, a captain and a manager.

“He’s a very proud man, and he was very proud to play for this club. He was even prouder to captain it, and ever prouder still to be appointed as manager. That’s something he has taken away with him.

“Everybody who knows Gareth will realise the respect he deserves. He goes with everybody’s good wishes.

From my point of view, he’s also a friend, and I hope he takes time to reflect on what’s happened and comes back even hungrier to get back into management.”