Manchester United legend Bryan Robson is proud of the results being produced by Middlesbrough's academy.

It was Robbo who first established Boro's academy and he told the Observer: "I'm proud of that.

"It's always nice when a structure you devised and set up is so successful, but a lot of the credit should also go to Steve (Gibson), Keith (Lamb) and, especially, Dave Parnaby."

Robson's managerial career may not have delivered as much as it once promised but, even through the tough times, he never permitted his purist passing principles to be compromised.

"I've got firm beliefs on how football should be played. That's why I love watching United with their composure, passing, movement and constant positional inter-changing," he said. "And why I applaud and admire the type of football Gareth Southgate is trying to play with his very young team at Middlesbrough.

"They're inconsistent and, because they lack a bit of experience, you never know quite what you're going to get from them but they've got real pace and their passing and movement against Arsenal recently was very good. Gareth is a brave manager."