Adomah deserves to be in the Black Stars – Boro boss Karanka

Middlesbrough boss Aitor Karanka insists though he benefited from winger Albert Adomah’s absence at the Africa Cup of Nations with Ghana, he still cannot understand why he was dropped.

Karanka has gained immensely from Adomah in his quest for promotion as the right winger has played some good football and scored match-winning goals.

“I think he deserved to go, because he’s a very good player but I don’t know what is happening with his national team,” Karanka told Northernecho.

“I think it was good for him because it meant he was very committed here. He is a very important player for us, not just on the pitch but in the changing room as well.

“He’s a good character. He’s always joking but working hard. He’s a winner and his personality is good. For me, it was good he didn’t go, but he did deserve to.

“I think it has spurred him on, especially after scoring against Bolton. He is going to be more confident. In the last games, including the Man City game, he didn’t have a lot of chances but he created and worked hard.

“He could have lost his confidence a bit, but now he has scored he will be a very important player for us in the next two months,” he added.