For a man with a reputation for punctuality, it was ironic that Steve McClaren sidled into his pre-match press conference yesterday over half an hour late. "There's a few more than normal," he smiled, glancing around the room. "Is it a big game or something?"

The massed ranks of journalists tut-tutted, refraining from replying "only another mid-table side," but the sense of relief at the Middlesbrough manager's arrival was tangible. McClaren has adopted plenty of his mentor Alex Ferguson's trademark habits, but, as yet, a refusal to communicate with the outside world is not one of them.

McClaren and Ferguson, formerly pupil and teacher, renew acquaintances at the Riverside this afternoon as United visit Teesside.

The champions' thumping of Derby on Wednesday may have hauled them to the top of the mid-table bottleneck - they sit relatively pretty in fifth - but they will hardly be relishing this trip. McClaren, on the other hand, can hardly wait.

"It will be a bit special," he said. "I heard Sir Alex saying it would take a miracle for them to retain their title, but I had a wry smile at that. It's one of his old ploys; he doesn't really believe it. Nobody should write them off, but it's just United we are playing. They're no big ogre or monster."

Rightly or wrongly, McClaren's departure from Old Trafford in July has been viewed as the catalyst for the champions' worst start to a Premiership season. Having succeeded Brian Kidd as assistant manager in 1999, the former Derby coach helped oversee successive title wins. Since he left, United's defenders appear to have forgotten how to defend.

With each sloppy defeat - there have been six already and only three clubs have conceded more than the 27 goals they have shipped - the champions privately concede the 43-year-old has been a massive loss. Jim Ryan and Mike Phelan, effectively Ferguson's assistants, may be competent coaches, but, as they take charge of world-class talent, a sense the players have outgrown teachers remains.

"That's too simplistic," said McClaren. "There are obviously other things wrong. Everyone's been surprised at the number of points they have dropped, but everybody has dips and it's how you recover that is important."

United can hardly complain. McClaren's move was with Ferguson's blessing, not least because doubts remained after the end of last season whether the manager himself would stay.

With Ferguson quibbling over his proposed ambassadorial role, he advised his friend to sort out his own future.

"I believe the timing was right," said McClaren. "I have no regrets, but it was a real wrench. I feel privileged to have worked with Sir Alex. He is unique - he's the best manager in the world and will go down with the Paisleys and the Shanklys as one of the legends of the game.

"Yet he's really one of the nicest and most generous people you could meet - a winner who surrounds himself with like-minded people.

"One of the first things he told me when I left was that I should be myself. When I came in, I tried to make sure I wasn't harping on about United all the time. I tried to set my own particular work ethic into this club; my own principles to build my own club."

He is steadily succeeding. With Gareth Southgate and Ugo Ehiogu providing a solid base, Boro have recovered from losing their first four games and have not conceded a goal from inside the box for over eight hours.

Ferguson says that his protege, too, would develop into "a managerial great", with the suspicion remaining McClaren could return to Old Trafford at some stage. Boro's manager chuckled at the prospect.

"I was very flattered to hear that. He doesn't praise people too often, but he's clearly trying to soften me up. You can't look long term . . . We have plans to make this club successful. But what happens in the future, God only knows."

As it is, today's encounter should prove trickier for United than last season's 2-0 stroll on Teesside, when the champions fielded virtually a reserve side.

They cannot afford to do so now as Boro - who could include three former United players, Jonathan Greening, Paul Ince and Mark Wilson - attempt to close the gap between the sides to two points.

"If we are still only five points behind them in May, I will be delighted," added McClaren. "I'll speak to Sir Alex before the game and I'll probably shout at him during it. But at the end we'll have a bottle of red wine. Something decent. Hopefully he can drown his sorrows in it."