McDonald, 27, has managed only nine goals for Middlesbrough in over 30 appearances this campaign.

The ex-Celtic striker was prolific during his time in Scotland winning the 2007-2008 SPL Top Scorer but has struggled to regularly find the back of the net since his switch south of the border in January 2010.

McDonald also remains goalless for Australia after 24 caps and appears out of favour with Socceroos coach Holger Osieck having missed selection for the recent friendly against Germany, following a disappointing Asian Cup.

“At the start of the season I wanted to be top scorer in the league,” McDonald told the Evening Gazette. “It’s the same every season.

“To be honest I expected to score a lot more goals this season than I have done.

“I got used to scoring goals for Celtic and you expect it to continue wherever you go. That’s my job in the team. That’s what I do.

“So hopefully I will score a few more before the end of the season. I feel confident that I can.”

McDonald also admitted his disappointment at missing out on Osieck's squad for the Germany friendly, after making three appearances off the bench at the Asian Cup.

“I was a little bit disappointed I was not called up to the Australian squad,” McDonald said.

“But I missed a lot of league games in January and I don’t want to miss any more club games.

“Anyway it was my daughter Elle’s first birthday at the weekend and I would have missed it if I had been away with Australia.

“Your first priority is always to your family so it was good to be there.”