Gary O'Neil has urged Middlesbrough fans to hold their nerve.

"The future here definitely excites me, that's what I bought into when I first came," he told the Sunday Sun. "It wasn't a move I decided on for the short-term, it was because of what the gaffer was going to do long-term.

"If we can just stabilise this season, maybe finish top 10, then next season could be a lot better.

"This club builds from the Academy, we've got some fantastic young players that have come through and more that are coming through."