Want-away Gaston Ramirez key to Boro prospects

The 26-year-old Uruguay international stunned the Teessiders last month when he handed in a transfer request with champions Leicester hot on his trail.

However, chairman Steve Gibson and head coach Aitor Karanka stood firm and Ramirez, who played 33 minutes as a substitute in last weekend’s 0-0 draw with Everton on his return, remained at the Riverside Stadium as the transfer window closed.

The pair sat down to discuss the situation in the wake of a torrid few weeks, but Karanka, who sends his side into FA Cup fifth-round battle with League One Oxford tomorrow, insists he will show his full appreciation of the South American in his actions rather than his words.

He said: “Yes, we had a meeting, but the best way to show a player how important he is for the team is not on a sofa in a meeting. It is that he is playing and I am giving him all my confidence, as I have tried to do since he arrived here.

“It’s not difficult for him because I have always said in press conferences here and in my meetings with him how important he is for the team, and he knows.

“Now with him, we know we have three or four really important months in front of us and he knows he is really important in this team.”

Boro are yet to win a league game in 2017 and have scored only three goals in their last eight and Karanka says of Ramirez: “He gives us a lot of things with the ball, set-pieces, a quality and pace, so with him on the pitch, we are a better team.”