Middlesbrough captain Ben Gibson has paid tribute to sacked manager Aitor Karanka.

As a native Teessider and Rockliffe Academy graduate, Gibson says he and his teammates are grateful for Karanka's work at the Riverside.

“Aitor came in when I was just starting to get into the first team squad," said Gibson to Boro's website. “I learned a lot and played a lot of football under him.

“He definitely had a positive impact on me and on a lot of the others lads' careers so I have to thank him for that.

“But Steve Agnew's the man in charge now and we have to pull together to get out of this relegation scrap."