Middlesbrough: Agnew on Fabio, Friend, Chambers and Ramirez injury situation, Gestede's confidence and his knowledge of Hull

Gaston Ramirez has a chance of featuring despite damaging his ankle in last weekend’s goalless draw at Swansea City, with Steve Agnew set to hand the forward a late fitness test ahead of his side’s game at the KCOM Stadium.

Agnew spoke to the media at Rockliffe Park today and discussed a number of pre-match topics.

On Fabio and his concussion:

“Our doctors were on the field of play as soon as they possibly could be and they did a fantastic job. He was unconscious, they assessed the situation and made the decision to take him of the field. He will miss the next two games because of the rulings. He wanted to play, but that’s just a reaction from Fabio. Brian and Chris (Moseley) have all the experience needed to deal with that situation and it was the right decision. It’s simple really. The medical people are very well qualified. They make the decision and I was quite happy with that.

On Gaston Ramirez:

“Gaston got a kick to the ankle. It was a twist, it was sore, but he’s improving. We’ll assess him again tomorrow morning. George and Calum are running. It’s hard to say exactly when they’ll be ready. But they’re not too far away.

On George Friend and Calum Chambers:

“George is good, he’s in a good place. It’s difficult to say exactly when he will be back, but he’s running again. He’s a quick healer and a fit boy, that tells me he won’t be too far away. But will he be available tomorrow? No. And Calum won’t either.

On Rudy Gestede:

“Rudy is a terrific boy. He’s scored two goals since he joined us. He’s not played too much football because of the problem with his hamstring, but he’s determined to score a goal. He’s focused, he’s ready and he’s positive. As I said to him, you have to be in the position to miss the chances and if you keep getting into the right position, the goals will come.

On the importance of a positive result:

“I think we need to win the game. It’s a big, big game for us - we need three points, but I’m quietly confident and so are the group of players.

“It’s a huge challenge but it’s an exciting fixture. The preparation from after the final whistle at Swansea has been terrific in terms of the recovery and rest and what they need to do. The players are in a good place and looking forward to it.

On Hull and his knowledge of the club:

“Hull have changed the head coach and he’s done a terrific job. It has changed a little bit. They had a busy January with quite a big turnover of players. I know a lot of the players who are still there.  I know the strengths and weaknesses and do have a feel for the club. I had a good time at Hull and the crowd are vocal. They’re on a good run of form at home- they’ve won four out of five – so it’s going to be a really difficult game. But with my knowledge and understanding of Hull, I think that’s an advantage for us.

On former Boro target Harry Maguire:

“Harry is a good player, but they’ve got lots of other good players. When a club have a run like they have had at home, then obviously the players that have been brought in in January have done well.

On replacing Aitor Karanka:

 “In a perfect world, any head coach would like to go into a pre-season to prepare for a full season but we know in football that doesn’t happen very often. We have to be prepared to put ideas into the players. They’ve responded, but I don’t think we’ve quite had the break we needed. I do feel if we keep working the way we have, the break will come.

On Boro’s tactical approach:

“The hardest thing in the Premier League is to score a goal, but that’s what we’ve been working on. We’ve had good meetings and the player are always receptive to what we discuss.

“We can go on and on about tactics and how we want to score a goal – the bottom line is we have to take risks at the top end of the field. They’re the messages we’ve been sending through to the players.