Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate was full of praise for defender Andrew Taylor after Saturday's victory over Birmingham City.

"Taylor's character is very special. He has a fantastic mentality and the pair of them, to show the level of consistency they have at the age they are at is commendable," said Southgate.

"You know with young players that sometimes they have got talent and that they can produce a performance but they are doing it week after week at the moment.

"Tayls has done it over the course of a year, Wheats is fresh into it but he is playing without fear.

"He is enjoying the challenge of the different strikers he is playing against and he is always a big threat in opposition penalty areas - we know that from the youth team and the reserves.

"He is a bit of a magnet to the ball because he doesn't think about anything else other than just attacking the ball."