Call of Boro much too strong

Former England international Jonathan Woodgate says the prospect of a return to Middlesbrough was simply too great to resist.

The 32-year-old ex-Real Madrid defender signed a three-year deal with Boro earlier this week after leaving Stoke City at the end of last season.

He openly admitted, however, that he wasn't actually anticipating dropping out of the Premier League until receiving a chance phone call around a fortnight ago.

"I was going for a run about two weeks ago and I wasn't going to answer the call because it was a number I didn't know," Woodgate told the Northern Echo. "But I answered it, it was [Boro chairman] Steve Gibson. He said 'do you want to come for a chat?' I said 'yeah' and it went from there.

"I didn't think about Middlesbrough at first because I was going to try to stay in the Premier League and it just went from there," he continued. "The lure of Middlesbrough, hometown team, the idea of trying to get them back in the Premier League, was a big, big pull.

"Family is some times more important than playing in the Premier League, especially now I am 32. I want to get Middlesbrough there."

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