Middlesbrough v Partizan: Middlesbrough boss Steve McClaren has promised that potential England international Stewart Downing will not get carried away with his new-found status. The 20-year-old winger will take his blossoming talents on to the European stage tonight when Boro entertain Partizan Belgrade knowing that victory will keep them at the top of Group E and guarantee a less taxing draw in the last 32.

Downing could be forgiven for allowing all the publicity to get to him after being put on alert by Sven-Goran Eriksson for a senior England debut in February's friendly against Holland following a blistering run of form.

Dutch full-back Michael Reiziger, who could conceivably line up against his club-mate in that game, has compared the youngster favourably to compatriots Marc Overmars and Arjen Robben and forecast a bright international future.

McClaren's experience at Manchester United of Alex Ferguson's careful nurturing of young talent, which saw the likes of Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Paul Scholes and the Neville brothers eased through the early years of their careers, could prove invaluable.

But he insists Downing is doing a good enough job of keeping his own feet on the ground. "Why they did it so well at Manchester United was because of the type of boys that were there, the type of characters that they were," he said.

"The one thing that has impressed me about Stewart is that, while all this has been going on, he has just been getting on with the job and he has just been getting better and better every week.

"That gives me great heart, that very rarely have we needed to step in to give advice because he is handling it all very well himself. But if that time comes, do not worry, we will let him know."

Downing and his team-mates have already assured themselves of qualification, along with Villarreal and tonight's opponents, and that means Italian giants Lazio, who lost 2-0 at the Riverside, are out. That in itself is a major achievement, but Boro are not satisfied just yet.