Middlesbrough boss Aitor Karanka has defended his management style.

Karanka has taken at the fans and board in recent weeks.

But he told The Sun: “If I am something, it is that I am not arrogant at all.

“Sometimes it can maybe be a problem with the language. Sometimes I can't explain things in the way I would like to explain. But it's just that when I am doing my best, I want the people around me doing their best.

“I have to fight with everybody because I want the best. Could what I say backfire one day? I don't think so, because at Middlesbrough the people know me – it's not the first time I've said something!

v “And the people who don't know me, I don't care what they think.

“I would be concerned if someone who knows me says, 'What is Aitor saying? What is he doing?'.

“But the people who know me, know who I am, how I work and how I want the best for this club. They know how much I love them because they are always supporting me, even in the bad moments."