Catt tips Downing to move

Former Boro midfielder expects England international to leave

Last updated: 4th October 2008   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Catt tips Downing to move

Cattermole: Happy at Wigan

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Lee Cattermole fully expects his former team-mate Stewart Downing to follow him out of Middlesbrough.

The Stockton-born midfielder, like Downing, is a lifelong Boro fan and came through the youth ranks at the Riverside.

Cattermole decided to leave the club in the summer when he joined Wigan, who face Boro on Saturday, and he thinks it is just a matter of time before Downing moves on too.

"I speak to Stewart all of the time, I think he will end up at a big club. He is a great player and getting better and better every year," said Cattermole.

"He had a lot of interest from Liverpool and Tottenham and I think he will definitely move on. I don't think he gets the recognition he deserves.

"When he is away with England he always gets a bad press but I don't know why."

I had to go

Cattermole admits he needed to get away from his hometown.

"I wanted to get out of the area and get a new challenge. I wasn't playing as well as I should - I was getting played out of position. I felt I was going backwards," he said.

"Also, when you're a young lad from Middlesbrough, it can be a bit too much.

"It's hard to concentrate, your mates are ringing you all of the time, there are a lot of distractions.

"I'm ready to take the step forward."

Cattermole is struggling with a hamstring injury and is due to have a fitness test before the match at the JJB Stadium but he will be desperate to face his former club.