Middlesbrough defender signs new four-year deal with club — George Friend

Middlesbrough finished second in the Football League Championship last season.

“It [the squad] is much stronger [than last season] but we have to be careful because not many of them have Premier League experience”.

He added: “It does feel a bit surreal to be honest because you look up to these players having watched them on television and now you happen to be playing with them”.

He knows opportunities will arise in cup games and believes they are the platform whereby Mourinho can be impressed.

The Middlesbrough betting partnership represents the second football sponsorship undertaken by TLCBET, who a year ago launched its brand in the United Kingdom as official shirt sponsor of West Bromwich Albion. “In some positions now we have more than two; it’ll be hard for me in the beginning to choose as all of them start in the same condition but, eventually, they’ll show me who’s better”.

Switzerland global Shaqiri beat Boro keeper Victor Valdes with a curling 67th-minute effort to cancel out debutant Alvaro Negredo’s opener as the Teessiders dominated for long periods in front of a crowd of 32,110. That should be good for getting the best out of players, but it could also affect the mood in the dressing room. “He has that ability – he does that in training every single day, so he was due one”. The veteran goalkeeper was standing in for the injured Jack…

England worldwide Butland was hurt in training on Friday and was replaced by 40-year-old Shay Given on Teesside, but hopes to be back in action within weeks after initially fearing the worst.

“If someone thinks that then they are a little bit insane as now we have to build the foundations”.

“He hasn’t re-damaged the ankle in terms of the fracture that the had – that’s sound, there’s no problem with that, that’s all been checked”.

“I thought we stood up to those challenges well, especially having fallen behind to an early goal”.

Stoke equalized through a curling free kick in the 67th from Switzerland midifielder Xherdan Shaqiri, which clipped the inside of the post on the way in.

Karanka said: “The team spirit is the main thing since I arrived here and the main thing I have to keep”.

“This is the way”.

“I was really pleased when Alvaro Negredo came here because he knows this league and has played at the top level”, he said. Their only meetings in Premier League history were back in the 2008-09 season.