Chelsea boss Antonio Conte is impressed by Gaston Ramirez's progress at Middlesbrough.

Boro boss Aitor Karanka revealed that Conte could not believe the change in the Uruguay playmaker, 26, when the Blues won 1-0 on Teesside last month.

He said: “I was surprised when I was speaking with Conte after the Chelsea game because he knew Gaston when he was in Italy with Bologna.

“He said, 'Wow, what have you done with Gaston? He's a completely different player. He's more intense, he's more involved in the game – in Italy it was different'.

“I told him that when I signed him as a free agent in the summer, I knew he had problems with injuries but sometimes you just have to give a player confidence.

“Now he's playing with confidence and is an important player for us."