Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka has admitted that he is "looking forward" to Saturday's fixture with Manchester United for more reasons than one, as he prepares to lock horns with close friend Jose Mourinho.
The 43-year-old spent three years working alongside Mourinho as Real Madrid assistant, before departing for Boro in 2013 and guiding his side to the top tier of English football.
Mourinho heaped praise on Karanka in the build-up to the New Year's Eve showdown at Old Trafford, and the Spaniard has now responded with compliments of his own and thanked the United boss for all his support in the past.
"I spent three amazing years with him at Madrid," he told reporters. "It will be nice to see him. At the end of the game, we will share a glass of wine or beer or coke. This is one of the fixtures I was looking forward to most. I have a lot to thank Jose Mourinho for.
"I have to say thanks to him and to his staff so many times. I am in the Premier League because I learnt a lot with them. They gave me the last push to become a manager. We are really good friends and have a really good relationship.
"It will be a special moment for me and for the team, but it is football, and three important points to play for. In those 90 minutes you can't be friends. I never go to a game aiming for a draw. We will go to Old Trafford preparing and trying to win."
Boro head into the match sitting 15th in the Premier League table, four points above the relegation zone after three defeats in their last four.
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