AITOR KARANKA has challenged Stewart Downing to play “like that every week” after admitting the winger has shown he can be the best player in the Championship during Middlesbrough’s return to form.

Boro are within a point of leaders Hull City, who they face at the KC Stadium on Saturday, after Downing struck in the 16th minute against Rotherham at the Riverside.

It was his second league goal since coming off the bench just before the hour mark at Wolves on October 24, when he turned the game around with his performance after being left out by Karanka.

There were reports after that the former West Ham winger was unsettled but he has since impressed in the Championship games with Charlton and Rotherham, as well as in the Capital One Cup victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford a week ago.

Karanka is delighted with the reaction from a player who chairman Steve Gibson has invested millions in to try to spearhead the club’s promotion to the Premier League.

“I am really pleased with him. This is the player everyone was expecting to see and he knows how important he is for the team,” said Karanka.

“When he came here everyone was expecting his best and he is playing his best now and he is showing his character on the pitch, his performances in the last four games have been amazing so I am really pleased because when he came this is the level we have expected.

“This is the level he has set now. He knows how important he is for the team and everyone knows – not just our players - he is one of the best, if not the best, players in this league.

“I said in pre-season it would take time for him because it is not easy to play in the Premier League and for your national team and to come and play in the Championship and to settle in and be involved in these kind of games.

“I said it would be difficult and take time but fortunately now he is showing he is one of the best in the league.”

Downing will be key figure when he comes up against Hull City on Saturday and victory could lift Boro top of the division for the first time this season, although there is a point separating the top five teams.

It looked as if Boro would go on to win comfortably against Rotherham after Downing’s goal, but it never went as smoothly as that and the Millers could have pinched an equaliser.

“It was a difficult game against the bottom team. A year ago against Blackpool, we drew this type of game,” said Karanka.

“I don’t know how many chances we had but we have to learn from this game. We are expecting to score a goal soon and when everyone expected the second goal we were worse. But we won which is the main thing.

“The first goal at home has been the most difficult and when we scored early I thought it would be easier to get the second. I don’t know why we lost our confidence in the second half but we had chances.

“Last season we lost a lot of points against the bottom teams and this season we are winning games in difficult situations.

“We have three more points than we had last season at this stage and we have to keep going. They didn’t have many chances but one set-piece or corner can be dangerous and I was concerned until the last second.”

Boro did not pick up any further yellow cards against Rotherham, so Grant Leadbitter, Adam Clayton, Diego Fabbrini and Daniel Ayala, who all have four bookings, are available for the trip to Hull.