AITOR KARANKA has praised Jonathan Woodgate’s contribution following this month’s return from injury, and tipped the 35-year-old to play a crucial role in Middlesbrough’s promotion push whether he makes in onto the field or not.

Woodgate’s only senior appearance this season came in August’s Capital One Cup win at Oldham, but after a lengthy injury lay-off, the defender returned to take up a place on the substitutes’ bench for the league win over Cardiff City and the FA Cup victory at Manchester City.

He is playing a full part in Middlesbrough’s training sessions, and while he remains the club’s fourth-choice defender behind Daniel Ayala (who starts a two-match suspension today), Ben Gibson and Kenneth Omeruo, his importance has not been lost on Karanka.

The Spaniard regards Woodgate as a hugely influential presence in the dressing room, and having encouraged the Teessider to remain involved even when he was unable to train, he is delighted to see the club captain back at the heart of first-team affairs.

“He is a very important player for us, and it is fantastic to have him back,” said Karanka, who takes his side to Brentford today knowing a win could take them to the top of the Championship table. “For me, it is very important to have Woody in the training sessions because his experience is crucial.

“If one player is slipping, Woody will be the one who wakes him up. He is a winner, and he knows that our moment is now. For us, with Woody in the training session, it is better than it was without him.”

Woodgate’s experience has helped keep the Middlesbrough squad grounded in the wake of last weekend’s remarkable FA Cup win at Manchester City, with Karanka also keen to guard against any wavering of focus in the wake of Monday’s fifth-round draw, which handed Boro a trip to Arsenal.

FA Cup talk has been banned at Boro’s Rockliffe Park training ground this week, and while the rest of the country might have been discussing last weekend’s upset at the Etihad, Karanka has been impressed with his players’ willingness to put the result to their back of their minds ahead of today’s promotion clash at Griffin Park.

“When I came in on Tuesday morning, I expected a lot more comments about the game last Saturday,” he said. “Instead, the players were speaking about Brentford and not discussing what happened at Manchester City.

“The following training session was the same, and there has been no talk about Arsenal either. That is the main thing for me because it can be difficult to keep your feet on the ground, but that has not been the case this week.”

Boro head into today’s game one point clear of a Brentford side who were not expected to be challenging at the top end of the table this season.

Having won promotion from League One in May, the Bees were expected to be battling against the drop rather than pushing for a place in the Premier League, and even Karanka admits he has been surprised by just how well they have coped with the challenges of the Championship.

“At the beginning of the season, I didn't really know Brentford,” he said. “They were only recently promoted to the Championship, but now, six months later, they are one point below us and doing really, really well.

“We won 4-0 at the Riverside (in September), but the game was not easy. We had to work very hard for the first goal, and although the other three came more easily once we had got it, the first one was difficult.

“It is going to be even more difficult at their stadium, and it is not a coincidence that they are in a high position in the table. We will have to be at our best if we want to do something.”