New Middlesbrough boss Garry Monk has told Stewart Downing he can leave the club, according to Sky Sports News HQ.
Monk was recently appointed as the new manager at the Riverside Stadium and has taken most of his backroom staff from Leeds United with him, with the exception of assistant Pep Clotet, who has left Elland Road for pastures new.
Monk is now starting to make his mark at Boro and has told Downing that he is free to look for a new club.
Downing is set to turn 33 years old next month and Monk has declared the winger surplus to requirements at the Riverside Stadium.
The wide-man came through the youth ranks at Boro before bursting onto the scene. He earned a move to Aston Villa in 2009, while Liverpool came calling just two years later.
relatedNewsStory
Downing struggled at Anfield and was sold to West Ham in 2013, before then Middlesbrough took him home in 2015.
Monk though believes he has no place for Downing as he plots an instant return to the Premier League for Boro.
Downing won 35 caps for England between 2005 and 2014.
