Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka has insisted that he has full "confidence" in his players as they battle to remain in the Premier League.
A 2-0 defeat at Stoke City over the weekend saw Boro drop into the relegation zone for the first time this season and extended their winless run in the league to 10 games.
As a result, Karanka's job has come under intense scrutiny in recent days, but the Spaniard insisted today that he retains the full backing of owner Steve Gibson.
"Of course [I do]," Karanka told reporters. "The most difficult moment for me was when I arrived here but he was the first one who transmitted his confidence. I don't need to feel that [confidence] every day.
"We are trying to show the players our confidence in them. They now have to take a step forward knowing that all of us trust them. If the players go to the pitch and don't have the confidence, you have been working for nothing."
Boro have a break from Premier League action this weekend as they welcome Manchester City to the Riverside in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
Neil Wilkes
