AITOR KARANKA feels that the reluctance of the three clubs relegated from the Premier League to sell their better players over the summer has improved the quality of the Championship – and has made Middlesbrough’s job of getting promoted even tougher.

While Burnley lost Danny Ings to Liverpool, Queens Park Rangers and Hull City managed to retain the majority of their better players following their drop into the second tier owing to the £24million parachute payments handed out to relegated clubs.

And with Middlesbrough desperate to get out of the division, the stakes have been raised with Boro spending £5.5million on Stewart Downing and £2.8m on Uruguay international Cristhian Stuani.

Burnley may have sold Ings, but they managed to attract Brentford striker Andre Gray to Turf Moor for a club record £9m.

Karanka is proud that Boro, without the financial assistance from the Premier League, are managing to keep pace with Burnley and Hull, with both occupying the top two positions in the Championship ahead of Boro’s visit to the KC Stadium on Saturday.

“I've been here for two years and I am always focused on my team, my club, how can we improve the team spending as little money as possible?,” said the Middlesbrough head coach.

“I want to sign the right players at the right price but it is true the teams coming from the Premier League have more options and more money.

“But it is a good challenge for us and it's nice to look at the table and see Middlesbrough Football Club at the top of the table fighting with those teams.

While Boro will be without the injured Stuani, his fellow Uruguay international Abel Hernandez – a £10m signing for Hull a year ago - is available for selection for Steve Bruce’s side.

Karanka said: “It is not a surprise because I have been here for two years and I know how big this league is.

“People who are not here don't know how important this league is but when you are here for two years you know this league is important and most of them are recognised abroad, so for that reason good players like Abel and Cristhian like Stewart Downing, for example, want to come here.

“That means the league is tough, the league is difficult and that means it is a very good league.”

Karanka is an admirer of Hull and of Steve Bruce, who he believes is the best manager in the Championship, and is looking forward to coming up against the former Manchester United defender tomorrow.

“With his numbers, it is easy, he has I don't know how many games he has had as a manager and I don't know how many seasons in the Premier League,” said the head coach. “Two or three years ago he got promotion so I am really pleased because for me, when we played against them in the cup in my first season, I said 'wow, I am a coach and I am playing against Steve Bruce', and for me it was a pleasure and a privilege to play against him.

“It’s the same thing as what I said about Stewart Downing – if he’s not one of the best managers he’s the best there is in the league. He’s experienced, he used to be an amazing player and he’s done really well. When a team has an experienced manager, the team is a reflection of the manager. “Steve is one of them. He’s a Premier League manager.

“They have the players they had in the Premier League last season and the same manager so they have experience, they have quality, it’s going to be a good test for us.”

The match against Hull City is Middlesbrough’s biggest test in the Championship this season so far, and Karanka knows that if his side are organised they can come away from Humberside with the points.

He added: “The players who make a difference are the players up front so we have to be really, really organised and we have to take advantage to score goals.

“I don't think we are going to get a lot of chances because they have a lot of very good defenders, a very good defence, so I think it is going to be a good game to watch.

“I can't choose that one game is more important that another one because they are all three points. Obviously Hull are a great rival but there are three points and we have to go there thinking about ourselves because we are a good team and we have to fight against them.”