Gordon Strachan could make a surprise loan swoop in the Scottish Third Division to bolster Middlesbrough's promotion hopes. The former Celtic boss is chasing Livingston starlet Andy Halliday, a goalscoring left winger, and is believed to have offered the Almondvale club £50,000 to take the player south for the rest of the season, with a view to a permanent transfer in the summer.

Strachan is keen to add to his attacking options but the cash move to take the youngster on loan to the English Championship will be seen as an absurd move by many, despite the player's obvious talents. The Boro boss, who sees his team two points away from play-off contention at present, may however be trying to steal a march on his growing list of rivals for the hot prospect's signature.

Halliday, 18, broke into the Livingston first team in January 2009 under now-Dundee United coach Paul Hegarty, having scored a remarkable 24 goals from midfield in just 17 appearances for Livi's under-19's side last season.

This campaign he has scored 11 in 22 games as the West Lothian side have surged to the top of the Third Division table.

Glasgow-born Halliday, the latest in a long line of youth talent to emerge from the club, is now attracting interest from across the UK with his former club Rangers having sent scouts to monitor his progress, together with representatives from Manchester City, Hearts, Hibs, West Brom, Wigan Athletic, West Ham, Fulham Sunderland and Newcastle amongst others.

His goalscoring form at youth and first team level has led to many mistaking him for a striker but the modest youngster was keen to set the record straight when he spoke to STV Sport earlier in the season.

“I'm actually mistaken for a striker all the time but I'm definitely a left midfielder," Halliday said. "The chances just seem to fall for me.

“I work hard and just try my luck. I've not got a 100% strike rate, but I manage to score quite a few."

After making his second appearance for Livingston after a spell on the bench following his debut in April 2008, Halliday then went on to feature in 12 games in the 2008/08 season. The former Rangers youth player then scored his first senior goal for the Lions in a 2-2 draw at Ross County in May 2009.

Halliday had a spell on trial at English League One side Charlton Athletic earlier this season and also spent time in Italy last campaign on trial with Serie A club Parma, as the West Lothian club's then Italian board looked to forge ties in their homeland.

Should he move on from Livi, he would follow in the footsteps of West Brom's Scotland international Graeme Dorrans, Leeds United winger Robert Snodgrass, Coventry City defender James McPake, Burnley youngster Joe McKee, Dundee hot striking prospect Leigh Griffiths and St Johnstone's highly-rated midfielder Murray Davidson in leaving within the past 18 months to make their names on a higher stage, having been reared by the team's exceptional youth development system.

Their seemingly endless string of talent doesn't end there, with central defender Cameron MacDonald, triplets Kyle, Devon and Sheldon Jacobs - and their older brother Keaghan - and young striker Mark McNulty all tipped to follow in their former team-mates' footsteps.