McDonald joined Boro for a reported £3.2 million and the 26-year-old Australia international believes Strachan, who was also his manager at Celtic, can motivate the team to regain top flight status.

McDonald said: "I spoke to the manager and where the manager wants to go with this football club, he has set high standards and I really firmly believe we can get there."

McDonald, whose ninth-placed side travel to Ipswich tomorrow, also believes the input of chairman Steve Gibson is vital to the club's future projects.

He added: "We have got a fantastic chairman who we have seen year in, year out has backed the club and is still willing to do that, which is great.

"He is quoted as the best chairman in football and from what the manager says, I firmly believe that too."

With Boro four points off the play-offs McDonald knows he has a vital role to play by scoring the goals to fire the club to the Premier League.

McDonald is not concerned about perceptions that he will find it harder to score in the Coca-Cola Championship that he did in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League.

He said: "That was something I had noticed a little bit and something I am looking forward, hopefully, to putting right.

"I believe I can score goals anywhere - I have scored in Champions League games and scored at the highest level, so why can't I do it here.

"I am looking forward to trying to do that, and I will be working hard to do that."