GARRY MONK is confident Britt Assombalonga will not allow the emotion of his first return to the City Ground to get the better of him when he lines up against Nottingham Forest this afternoon.

Assombalonga joined Middlesbrough in a club-record £15m move from Forest earlier this summer, and finds himself returning to his former home in only his fourth appearance in a Boro shirt.

He enjoyed considerable success with Forest, scoring 30 goals in 65 league games, but the acrimonious nature of his departure means he is unlikely to receive a warm reception from the home supporters.

He is assured of a much more positive reaction from the Boro fans, who serenaded him on Tuesday night as he scored both of his side’s goals in a 2-0 win over Burton Albion, and Monk is confident he will not allow the backstory to this afternoon’s game to affect his performance.

“It’s always interesting when former players go back to their old clubs, but Britt is a very focused lad,” said the Boro boss. “He won’t be the first player returning to a former club.

“He did a great service for them, but he’s moved on to a new challenge and Nottingham Forest have moved on as well. The aim for Britt and for all the team is to be focused on what we have to do and what we have been doing in the last week.”

Assombalonga’s departure from the City Ground became inevitable when Boro matched Forest’s asking price and the striker requested a move to Teesside.

Forest boss Mark Warburton began the summer insisting the 24-year-old would be going nowhere, but was forced to alter his stance when it became clear he would be unable to hold on to his leading goalscorer.

He has subsequently signed Daryl Murphy from Newcastle United for £2m and invested further money in a number of midfielders, and insists there he will be no hard feelings when he shakes Assombalonga’s hand later today.

“We will welcome him back, absolutely,” said Warburton. “This is football. Deals happen and players move on. As long as it is to the benefit of all concerned – and it suited Nottingham Forest in this case – then you wish him well.

“We do not wish him well on Saturday, but we will wish him well at Boro beyond that. He served his time at Forest and scored goals for the club.

“The deal suited all parties, so we will move on from that. Players move on and now we will move on, although I don’t honestly know what kind of reception he will get. I don’t know the crowd well enough yet to be able to predict that.

“He is a very talented player, and a talented goalscorer. I enjoyed working with him. But I am delighted that we have Daryl Murphy on board now. He is a different type of player, but you saw on Tuesday (against Barnsley) how effective and technically strong he can be.”

Forest only secured their Championship status when they avoided relegation on the final day of last season, but Warburton’s side have started the current campaign in a much stronger fashion.

A 1-0 win over Millwall was followed by a dramatic 4-3 victory at Brentford, and while their unbeaten start to the season came to a halt when they suffered a 2-1 defeat at Barnsley on Tuesday, they should provide a tough test for a Boro side who are in a buoyant mood of their own following wins over Sheffield United and Burton.

“This league is so unpredictable,” said Monk. “You can’t predict it, and I’ve said before that it’s the most competitive in the world. It’s incredible the amount of teams that have a realistic chance of promotion, and sometimes teams do what Forest have done and flip their form on its head from the previous season.

“It’s such an unpredictable league, but that’s where you have to concentrate on focusing on yourself and preparing as well as you can.”

Today’s game is Boro’s third in the space of a week, and having named an unchanged line-up on Tuesday night, Monk will have to decide whether to shuffle his pack this afternoon.

Daniel Ayala is available after shaking off the knock that kept him out of the Barnsley game, while Lewis Baker, Ashley Fletcher and Adama Traore are all pushing for a starting spot after coming off the bench four days ago.

“It’s about judging where the players are at, and what you need to do to get a result,” said Monk. “You have to look at who you are playing against, as well as many other elements such as injuries, fatigue or form.

“There are a lot of elements to take on board. All the players are going to be contributing this season, and that’s why you have a squad. We’ll stay focused on that for the rest of the season.”