Aitor Karanka hails Albert Adomah leadership qualities

Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka has hailed the leadership qualities of Black Stars winger Albert Adomah after he captained the Boro victory over Oldham Athletics last week.

The 27-year-old was handed the armband against Oldham Athletics in a League Cup game and inspired them to a 3-1 victory.

Adomah faces his former club for the first time since joining Boro from the Robins in August 2013. Karanka believes the 27-year-old Ghana international is a better player now.

Though he is not a substantive captain for Boro, the Spanish gaffer is already seeing leadership qualities in Adomah after managing the club for two seasons.

“Adomah has improved a lot since I arrived (November 2013), not just on the

pitch,” Karanka indicated.

“He feels now he is an important and he was the captain (against Oldham Athletic) one week ago. It was easy to make him captain. The armband is a testament to how he behaves. The armband shows he is a player who others follow. The captain has to lead by example and he certainly does that.”

Karanka added: “He has improved on the pitch and in the dressing room. Players look at him as a senior player and he is now a top player.

“When he plays against Bristol City he will remember how well he has developed. When he came here two years ago, he was a player, now he has been captain.

“It shows what you can do with hard work. He is very selfless and a true leader.”

Karanka has also talked about Adomah’s improvement since joining Middlesbrough from Bristol City as he gets ready to face them for the first time.

“I know that he was brilliant at Bristol City, but he’s improving here and he is enhancing our squad which is important to me,” he said.

Adomah made almost 150 appearances for City and was often the standout player in a side struggling to stay in the Championship in that period.

“He’s very popular here,” said Karanka. “His character is funny and he is an important player here. I know he was important at Bristol and I’m sure he will be excited about Saturday, but I prefer not to speak about individual players when it’s 11 v 11.”