Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka, praised his side's team spirit and resilience, as they drew 0-0 with West Bromwich Albion.

Points on the board

Boro have started the season brightly after their long-awaited return to the English top-flight, and continued their unbeaten run in their visit to the Hawthorns. However it certainly wasn't a classic in the midlands, with Boro taking 73 minutes to register a shot on target, but Karanka was full of praise for his side.

"I'm really pleased and really proud, especially for the spirit of the team in the second half," said Karanka and told his post-match press conference "Before the first international break we have three points so I'm really, really pleased."

Karanka continued: "We're in the Premier League because we've been fighting a lot over the past two years and that's the reason we play with this spirit."

Above: One of Middlesbrough's summer signings Alvaro Negredo in action during their 0-0 draw with West Brom
Above: One of Middlesbrough's summer signings Alvaro Negredo in action during their 0-0 draw with West Brom | Photo: PA

A few more new faces

Boro's transfer activity has certainly been their strongest point this summer, making some significant additions to the squad and with rumours of a loan move for Callum Chambers, Karanka has hinted at some new faces coming in ahead of deadline day.

Karanka said: "We are now with five points on the table and that's because the club has done a really good job on the transfer market in the summer," and believes "Now it's just about adding the right player or players because the squad is almost full so I'm really pleased, especially with the players who are here now."

He concluded: "The market is the market and sometimes you have surprises to bring when you didn't expect it and sometimes other teams are coming for our players because we have a lot of good players."

Middlesbrough will take on Crystal Palace at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday, September 10 with kick-off at 3pm BST.

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Danial  Kennedy
Award-winning sports journalism graduate. Currently studying a PR Masters at the University of Sunderland. Writing for VAVEL since August 2014. Twitter - @ddkjournalism.