THE LOWDOWN

The pair were travelling pals while playing together for Athletic Bilbao 11 years ago.

Now Karanka is the Riverside boss, while striker Llorente is charged with digging Swansea out of the bottom three, and plunging Boro deep into trouble.

Karanka admits he came close to signing Llorente in the summer.

The pair were together for three seasons as Spain star Llorente’s career developed, and Karanka’s came to an end.

Karanka (right) said: “I was his first room-mate! I was the eldest in the Bilbao squad and he was the youngest. The manager wanted me to look after him. I think I did well.

“We are still in touch. I was talking to him in the summer.

“You can compare him with Alvaro Negredo in our team. When I was working with the Spanish national team both of them were fighting to be in the side. In the meetings we had with the national coach Vincente del Bosque, he would ask us about both of them – because one of them would be picked and the other wouldn’t.

“They are really similar. In the summer I knew Fernando was the kind of player to interest us, but at the end Alvaro appeared. He had a contract with Sevilla at the time, but he was on our list.”

Karanka says Boro need to beat Swansea to stave off any worries about dropping into the drop zone at Christmas. He added: “I don’t think we have been in the relegation positions since the start of the season. I am the first one who said we need to battle to stay out of those positions.” Asked if Boro’s lack of goals is a worry, Karanka said: “It is not a concern at all. The day to be concerned is the day when we don’t create chances – but we are creating chances. “Against Hull, two weeks ago, we had 78 per cent possession, and we had chances. “Then against Southampton in the Europa League, who spent £50million this season, we had as many chances as them. “If I see a game where we don’t create chances, and then the same again in the next game and the game after, that’s when I will be concerned.”