Middlesbrough's Mido persuades Woodgate not to join Spurs

Mido has revealed he has tried to persuade Boro defender Jonathan Woodgate not to join his former club Tottenham.
The former Real Madrid defender is expected to join Spurs and turn down the opportunity to re-join Newcastle.

But Mido said: "He's an important player for us but if he leaves we'll all wish him the best. We wanted him to stay though.

"He's a very good footballer, and secondly he's a great lad to work with every day. Spurs want him because he's a very good player and it's not easy to find as good a defender as him.
"I hope we keep our best players, that's all I can say. I came here and I know the club wants to go forward. If he leaves I hope we get good players to replace him.
"When you want to run a club it's not just about the 11 actually playing to do well, you need at least 20 strong players.'

Middlesbrough striker Mido also revealed his heartache at missing Egypt's defence of the Africa Cup of Nations.
The former Spurs man returned as a substitute to the Boro side for Saturday's FA Cup win at Mansfield. It was the first time he has played for almost three months after recovering from an injury to his pubic bone.
The Egypt international, who looks short of match fitness and in need of shedding a few pounds, has missed his country's African championships but he is now aiming to lead Boro's charge away from the relegation zone, and their cup campaign.

Mido said: "It is very disappointing for me to be missing the African Cup of Nations because I've played in the last three tournaments and I really wanted to be out there to help the lads and my country but I've been injured for three months.
"I spoke to the manager and the Egyptian FA to explain my situation and they totally understand that it would be very difficult for me to take part. Now I would like to think that helping Middlesbrough get to the semi-finals or the final of the FA Cup would make up for that disappointment.
"It was a tough injury, the kind where you couldn't really do anything with it so it was very frustrating so I'm glad I'm playing again.
"The medical staff did a great job with me, this type of injury with the inflammation is always a challenge for the medics but I think they've done great."