Ince turns his back on Boro

Middlesbrough skipper Paul Ince has left the club after turning down the offer of a new two-year contract.

The 34-year-old former international decided not to sign a new deal because of the travel involved from his family home in the North-West.

Ince's decision will come as a disappointment to manager Steve McClaren, who now faces the task of rebuilding his midfield with just weeks to go before the start of the new season.

"In an ideal world, we'd have liked Paul to stay," said McClaren today.

"He was terrific for me last season and gave excellent service to the club for three years.

"However, we understand the reasons behind his decision and wish him well in whatever he decides to do next."

Ince, who has been consistently linked with a series of clubs in England as well as a return to Italy with Brescia, said: "I would like to thank the Middlesbrough fans for all their fantastic support during my three years as captain of the club."

He arrived at Boro in August 1999 as Bryan Robson swooped with a cut-price £1million bid for a player who was stunned to find that he was surplus to requirements at Anfield as Gerard Houllier planned for the future.

But it proved money well spent as the inspirational midfielder brought his highly individual style of leadership to the Riverside Stadium, turning in a series of high-octane displays in the engine room of a side struggling to live up to its own expectations.

Ince, who will be 35 in October, played 106 games for the club, scoring nine goals - but perhaps more importantly, he brought a grit and determination which impressed successive managers.

McClaren's arrival last summer was thought by many to have sparked the beginning of the end for the former West Ham star because of his differences with the manager's mentor Sir Alex Ferguson.

But the new Boro boss insisted from day one that Ince was a major part of his plans and has been as good as his word since.

Even the recruitment of tailor-made skipper Gareth Southgate within weeks of the manager's arrival did not change the dressing room hierarchy as he kept faith with a man who commanded the respect of the players and staff alike.

However, as Ince entered the final stages of his existing contract, it became ever clearer that his future lay elsewhere.

It is understood Boro were keen for him to move to the North-East to cut down the travelling, but in the end, he decided not to accept the club's latest offer and will now look for another side in what must surely be the final move of his playing career.

McClaren now faces the task of replacing Ince, and with fellow midfielder Robbie Mustoe also looking likely to leave after 12 years, that task is becoming increasingly pressing.

However, the latest development will further reduce both the Riverside wage bill and the age profile of the squad, two key constituents of the manager's remit when he took the job.