Boss hopes Boro spirit can inspire

Aitor Karanka believes squad unity strengthened in Spain can prove vital in Middlesbrough’s fight for Premier League safety.

The Boro boss has this week had his squad on a training camp in the warmer climes of his native Spain.

With the Teessiders just one point above the drop zone going into a tough Riverside battle with on-song Everton tomorrow, Karanka hopes that the time away will reap dividends.

The head coach had been frustrated not to have captured any of his major targets in the January transfer window.

But with forwards Rudy Gestede and Patrick Bamford and midfielder Adlene Guedioura on the trip to the Costa Blanca, Karanka feels a close-knit group can be just as important as bigmoney signings.

“When you arrive to a new place and you are at the training ground you gohomeanddon’tspenda lot of time with your teammates,” Karanka told mfc. co.uk. “It’s important for them [new signings] to feel how strong this group is and why we’ve been good over the last three years.

“We don’t have players who cost £100m or £80m and our big thing is how strong this group is.”

Boro are 15th in the table after a disappointing start to 2017, seven matches without a win.

Karanka said of the Spain trip: “The main thing is to be together. At this point of the season, we’ve done this before and I think now, when you have four months to finish, it’s always good to spend days together.

“When you’re at home you train and go home, here we train, we spend 24 hours together and with the new players we have as well the main thing is to make this group stronger.

“The biggest difference is after training we have lunch together, we share time together in the meeting room, and it’s good for the group.

“When you are together 24 hours a day you speak about everything. The only way is to keep together and to fight together.”

Gaston Ramirez, fit after a knee problem, was involved in Spain and could return against the Toffees. Boro have taken just two points from a possible 12 in his absence.