Aitor Karanka: 'Alvaro Negredo important for Middlesbrough'

Aitor Karanka has described Alvaro Negredo as a key player for Middlesbrough after the former Manchester City striker netted on his debut in Saturday's 1-1 Premier League draw against Stoke City.

The 30-year-old opened the scoring in the 11th minute, connecting with Gaston Ramirez's knockdown to head home from close range and helping the Premier League new boys to a valuable point.

"When we signed [Negredo] he needed to recover his confidence because we've seen he's a top player," Karanka told Sky Sports News.

"It's not a coincidence when you've won the Premier League with Man City. He needs to recover that confidence but he's a top player, he's confident here.

"The team knows how important he is and he knows how important the team is for him. For that reason he's a really good signing for us."

Negredo, on loan from Valencia, scored just five goals for the La Liga side last season.