Celtic club captain Stephen McManus will not be joining Middlesbrough on loan in the current transfer window.
The Championship club say Celtic were looking for too much money and the defender looks likely to stay in Glasgow for the time being.
Scotland international McManus was targeted by former Celtic boss Gordon Strachan, now at Boro.
The 27-year-old has not always been first choice for Strachan’s replacement at Celtic Park, Tony Mowbray.
But Mowbray indicated on Tuesday that he was not resigned to losing McManus, despite Strachan’s assertion that the player was “desperate to come” to Middlesbrough.
“If he doesn’t go he will be competing to be in the team and I wouldn’t put it past Stephen to see him at the heart of our defence for the rest of the season,” said Mowbray.
“I will put on record what a fantastic man he is and what a fantastic player he has been for this club and if this deal doesn’t happen he will be back on the training ground and striving to get himself in the team.
“He is a great leader of men and they are in shortage.
“I have just brought in two young centre-halves recently (Josh Thompson and Thomas Rogne), I have brought in Jos Hooiveld, who is left-footed, and I have Darren O’Dea back from Reading.”
Strachan, who has already turned to his former club in this winter transfer window to sign Barry Robson, Willo Flood and Chris Killen, was keen to be reunited with the player he made Celtic skipper in 2007.
“It has been well documented that Stephen is a big favourite of mine and he can’t get a game at Celtic,” manager Gordon Strachan told BBC Tees.
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