Middlesbrough: Steve Agnew backs Rudy Gestede - and is ready to adopt a more direct attacking approach

Gestede failed to find the target with a close-range header at the Liberty Stadium on Sunday, with the miss preventing Boro from closing the five-point gap that continues to separate them from safety.

The former Blackburn striker is the only Boro player to have scored in the club’s last six league games, having found the net in the second half of his side’s 3-1 defeat to Manchester United, but his personal record over the last 12 months leaves a lot to be desired.

His last 39 Premier League outings for Boro and his former club, Aston Villa, have ended in defeat, with his last league victory coming on the opening weekend of last season as he scored the winner in a 1-0 success over Bournemouth, but Agnew insists the £6m January signing remains as confident and upbeat as ever despite his recent struggles.

“Rudy is a terrific boy,” said the Middlesbrough head coach. “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.

“He is six foot four or six foot five, he’s quick and powerful, and when balls come into the box, he’s a big threat for any defender in the Premier League. That’s no different for the Hull defenders.”

Gestede’s solitary Premier League start for Boro came in the 2-0 defeat at Stoke City that marked Aitor Karanka’s final league game in charge, but on that occasion he played as a lone striker with Alvaro Negredo on the bench.

If, as looks likely, he starts at the KCOM Stadium tonight, he will do so alongside Negredo, with Agnew sticking with the 4-4-2 formation he fielded for the final hour at Swansea.

His hand could be forced, with Gaston Ramirez facing a late fitness test on his injured ankle, but even if the Uruguayan receives the green light from Boro’s medical staff, Agnew will be tempted to pair Gestede and Negredo in attack.

The ploy worked in the closing stages of the Manchester United defeat, and helped make Boro marginally more threatening in the second half at Swansea, with Gestede’s aerial ability threatening to cause problems.

To get the best out of the 28-year-old, it is imperative to get balls into the box, and Agnew is ready to adopt a much more direct approach if it helps his side pose more of a problem in the opposition’s penalty area.

“I felt when they (Gestede and Negredo) were on the field together at Swansea, while we didn’t really have good chances, we had more moments when balls were dropping in and around the box.

“It's like his (Gestede’s) goal against Man United - we kept the ball alive and there's more bodies in the box. Is that a direct style of play? Of course it is, but we need to find a way of winning football matches.

“If that means a direct style of play, fine. If it’s support from midfielders and wide players, or if it's good possession-based football, we're not interested as a group how we score a goal.”

Agnew will be returning to a stadium he knows well this evening as he spent two-and-a-half years working as Steve Bruce’s assistant at Hull.

The club has changed markedly since he left to re-join Boro’s coaching staff in December 2014, but he is hoping to be able to tap into some of his prior knowledge in order to assist his side’s efforts tonight.

Working with Bruce, Agnew was able to celebrate promotion from the Championship and an appearance in the FA Cup final during his time on Humberside, but both achievements would pale into insignificance compared to the pride that would stem from successfully keeping Boro in the top-flight this season.

“Cup finals don’t come around every year, and promotions don’t come around every year, but to keep Middlesbrough in the Premier League would be the greatest achievement I’ve ever had in my career,” he said. “And I can speak on behalf of the staff and players.”

Boro will be without Fabio Da Silva tonight, and the full-back will also be forced to sit out Saturday’s home game with Burnley after suffering concussion in the draw at Swansea.

Stewart Downing could start at left-back in his absence, although Agnew has included James Husband in the match-day squad and the full-back could be set for a Premier League debut despite not having featured in Boro’s first team since a League Cup win over Oldham at the start of last season.

“Hubby (Husband) is a player I’ve known a while,” said Agnew, who is still without George Friend and Calum Chambers despite the duo having resumed light running. “I watched him when I was at Hull and he was always a player who took my eye.

“I always thought he had a lot of potential. He’s been out on loan at a couple of Championship clubs over the last couple of years and the reports we got back were positive, so he’s in the squad. He’s a big part of the squad for the rest of the season.”

Middlesbrough (probable, 4-4-2): Valdes; Barragan, Bernardo, Gibson, Husband; Traore, de Roon, Clayton, Downing; Negredo, Gestede.