Julio Arca insists that Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate has the full support of the dressing room as he attempts to steer Boro out of the bottom three. Arca told the Evening News: "We are behind him all the way.

"We have to stick together now all the way because we need to be positive and to get points.

"It's good that the chairman keeps backing him and is giving him the chance to turn things around."

Arca, himself once relegated with Sunderland, believes that stability in sticking with Southgate gives the squad their best chance of Premier League survival.

He said: "It's probably the best thing that could happen for us because we need to be able to concentrate on the games and to get as many points as we can.

"The worst thing to happen would be to bring in a new manager because a new manager would come in and they have to get to know the players and don't get much time to turn things around."