IF only Aitor Karanka could rely on his good friend Jose Mourinho this weekend for a helping hand he could use it.

These are difficult times for Middlesbrough. Three months without a Premier League win has seen them drop into the relegation zone and Manchester United are next up at the Riverside on Sunday.

Many Boro supporters will not expect anything other than an away win, given Mourinho’s team have not lost in the league since October 23. Karanka has only enjoyed three victories during that time, none of which have arrived after Christmas.

Pressure has mounted on his shoulders and Steve Gibson, the club’s loyal chairman, has stuck by him so far, clearly believing he is better off sticking rather than twisting ahead of Middlesbrough’s relegation run-in.

The hope from the boardroom will be that staying faithful can lead to a surprise result against Manchester United; a result which would give everyone a boost at a time when the Championship is beckoning once more.

The Northern Echo website conducted a poll after the Stoke City defeat to see if fans remained confident Karanka was the man to lead the club. Of the 1,119 votes, 78 per cent voted he had lost their support.

Middlesbrough need to find their feet in an attacking sense to stun Mourinho’s Red Devils and it would be a timely boost ahead of an international break when Karanka and his players need positives.

Here are four of the main issues Karanka needs to address before Manchester United travel to Teesside aiming to close the gap on the top four.

The Northern Echo:

REPAIRING RIFTS

What’s the vibe going to be like in the build up to the game? While details of Stewart Downing’s bust-up with the head coach only became public this week, it is worth remembering that the row actually took place before the Stoke trip.

That means the players and coaching staff had a week together on the training ground building up the visit of Manchester City to improve the mood and they even went to Yarm for food and a quiz that helped.

However, Karanka’s claims he needs “18 fighters” in his match-day squad will hardly have helped things, with Downing and Patrick Bamford ignored.

Sources close to the head coach are briefing that Downing’s future is in his own hands if the winger can improve his attitude on the training pitch.

In that case Karanka, Downing and anyone else with a problem, need to address issues they have and sort them out before United’s visit. This is a time for togetherness and unity.

BUILDING CONFIDENCE

Karanka and his team finished third in the bonding quiz last week. He needs to come up with a lot bigger answers in his bid to keep Middlesbrough in the Premier League.

Players and coaching staff enjoyed the get together in Yarm but it failed to have the desired effect in terms of a result when they lost to a full strength Manchester City in the FA Cup.

While a quarter-final would have been nice, it is staying up that is the overriding priority and Karanka must somehow come up with a way to get everyone pulling in his direction.

He talks about naming those he “trusts” in his starting line-up. Those players he “trusts” must turn in a performances to keep him in a job, but the more of those he has surrounding him the better.

Confidence is a huge thing. A surprise victory over Manchester United would do morale the world of good ahead of an important run of three games against Swansea, Hull and Burnley when Middlesbrough need points.

After that, with the exception of a Sunderland derby, the remaining games consists of Arsenal, Bournemouth, Manchester City, Chelsea, Southampton and Liverpool - challenging in any team’s book.

FAMILIAR GOALS PROBLEM

The Northern Echo:

Middlesbrough have not scored in any of their last four Premier League games; that will not surprise anyone who has seen them a lot this season.

Karanka’s determination to keep things tight has brought praise in one sense and yet hasn’t earned the sort of rewards regularly enough to keep them out of trouble.

The reality is that Middlesbrough need goals to stay up. They were never going to stay up if they couldn’t come up with a way to find the net and a return of 19 goals from 27 games is not good enough.

Karanka needs to allow his players to have more freedom going forward. It was telling against Manchester City they looked more dangerous when they started to mix things up by getting the ball into the box for Rudy Gestede in the first half.

Gestede suffered a hamstring problem that afternoon, so the challenge will be to create more chances for lone striker Alvaro Negredo: he needs them.

DEFENSIVE HEADACHES

The Northern Echo:

Despite Middlesbrough’s poor form, they have fallen into the relegation zone with the best defensive record outside the top seven. That deserves recognition.

At a time when Karanka must come up with a way of making his team more adventurous going forward, he is being rocked by one injury after another at the back.

Victor Valdes and Ben Gibson’s appearances and form have been the constant bonuses, but just fielding a back four could be a problem against Manchester United.

You’d imagine Karanka will be piling the pressure on the medical guys to get players fit.

With Sunday approaching it would be a surprise to see George Friend, Daniel Ayala or Calum Chambers play because of injuries. Throw in the fact Bernardo Espinosa is also a doubt with an injury picked up last weekend, and it is easy to see how options are limited.

As things stand you are looking at teenager Dael Fry getting his chance alongside Gibson at the back, with Fabio and Antonio Barragan operating as the full-backs.

It could mean James Husband is given his chance for the first time in a Boro shirt since August 2015 – Karanka would take a boost from anywhere right now.