Middlesbrough midfielder Gary O'Neil insists he has put his troubles behind him to commit his future to the club.

The former Portsmouth winger and his family were unsettled after his switch from Fratton Park last season and he looked certain to leave Teesside.

But the midfielder, who is recovering from a knee injury, has told boss Gareth Southgate he wants to fight for his Boro place.

Gary O'Neil

O'Neil said: 'We had a baby who was two months old when the move came about and I was told in a day that I was going from one end of the country to the other.

'But no excuses, that's part of being a footballer and thankfully it's all sorted now. We are very settled and it's going to be a good season.

'I'm nearly there with the injury. I'm joining in some bits of training with the lads, doing a little bit of contact but not being allowed in the games just yet.'

Southgate is to step up his interest in Reading midfielder James Harper, but is stalling on Steve Coppell's valuation.

Boro have offered £3.5 million for the player who was a virtual ever-present for Reading in the Premier League but Reading want closer to £5 million as they have a 20 per cent sell-on clause agreement with Arsenal.

Meanwhile, Boro's new signing Marvin Emnes has been left out of Holland’s Olympic squad.

The £2m addition from Sparta Rotterdam is on the standby-list named by coach Foppe de Haan for next month’s tournament in Beijing.

The 20-year-old attacker would have missed the majority of Boro’s warm-up games and preparation for the new campaign - as well as the Premier League opener against Tottenham on August 16 - if he had gone to China.

He is now set to be part of a senior Boro squad which visit York City in the first pre-season game on Friday night.