CAIRO: Middlesbrough manager Tony Mowbray didn’t rule out the possibility of having Mido back at the Riverside but stressed that Boro could only offer the Egyptian striker a cut-price deal.
Mido surprisingly returned to the English minnows a couple of days ago after terminating his contract with Ajax Amsterdam due to lack of first-team opportunities.
For now the towering player is just training with Middlesbrough’s first team, with some reports suggesting he could pen a new contract with the club in January.
Speaking of the possible winter deal, Mowbray said Mido shouldn’t expect a Premier League salary at the Championship outfit.
"Mido’s situation is complicated. But he’s in discussions trying to get a release from Ajax, so that would suggest he’s Ajax’s player," he was quoted as saying by gazettelive.co.uk.
"Mido coming back on the contract he was on before he left last summer is not a scenario that will happen."
Last season, the former AS Roma man accepted a substantial pay-cut to join West Ham United on a six-month loan deal that saw his earn only £1,000 a week.
He was also underpaid at Ajax, the club he rejoined last summer on a year-long pay-as-you-play loan deal.
In 2007, Mido’s monthly wage at Middlesbrough was in the area of £200,000. He was considered one of the highest earners at the club.
Training Hard
"Mido is training hard. I will assess him next week, and he will assess us," added Mowbray.
"I have spoken to the boy, I have listened to what other people have said and I have taken it all on board. The bottom line is that he is a big, physical boy who has played at the highest level.
"But there are a lot of things to happen before we can even think about
the next stage, and at the moment I’m just looking at his fitness levels."
Mido is also targeted by La Liga duo Deportivo Lacuruna and Espanyol, Premier League side Newcastle United, Belgium’s Anderlecht and his boyhood club Zamalek.
