AITOR KARANKA has revealed he began his courtship of Patrick Bamford when the striker was still with MK Dons, only to see Derby County steal a march on Middlesbrough in the second half of last season.

Having taken over at the Riverside in October 2013, it did not take long for Karanka to lose faith with the strikers he inherited and his search for an alternative attacking option immediately took him to Bamford.

The Chelsea youngster was playing with MK Dons in League One at the time, but Karanka’s attempts to sign him for the second half of last season failed because Derby had already laid the foundations for a loan move of their own.

Determined not to be outflanked for a second time, Karanka discussed Bamford’s position with Jose Mourinho on a number of occasions this summer, and while the likes of Adam Clayton, Jelle Vossen and Kike have proved successful acquisitions, the England Under-21 international was always the Middlesbrough head coach’s number one target.

“It is not a surprise to me to see how well he has done because from the moment I arrived in England, I wanted to bring him here,” said Karanka. “I first became aware of him when he was playing with MK Dons, and I have watched him ever since.

“I knew all about him and would like to have signed him in January last season, but he went to Derby instead. This summer, he was one of my first choices when I was deciding who I would like to sign.

“I am happy with what he has done for us, and I know what Chelsea are thinking about him. Jose is following him, and he is definitely a potential player for Chelsea in the future.”

Last weekend’s opener in the 2-0 win over Derby was Bamford’s sixth goal in the last seven games, a run of form that has been crucial to Boro’s surge into the automatic promotion positions.

The quality of the striker’s finishing makes him a natural goalscorer in the mould of a Robbie Fowler or Andy Cole, and his movement on the shoulder of the last defender is a key part of his weaponry.

Karanka has been impressed with his impact in the 18-yard box, but regards his work rate and attitude as of equal importance to his finishing prowess.

“He is improving all the time,” he said. “He has always tried to work extremely hard for the team, but maybe now he is even more determined to work as hard as he possibly can.

“You can see him scoring and feel the effect he has there, but you can also see him defending and, for me, that is a very good example of how you want your players to be.

“It said a lot about the spirit of the team when we were playing against Blackburn two weeks ago and he was defending in the 94th minute. He was the first player to be defending the ball, and last Saturday (against Derby) he couldn’t finish the game because he was exhausted.

“That kind of attitude is the main thing for me. Everybody knows all about his quality, but now he is also working very, very well for the team.”

Extending Bamford’s loan to the end of the season will be one of Karanka’s main priorities ahead of next month’s transfer window, and all parties are happy to prolong the current arrangement to the end of the campaign.

Mourinho has expressed his admiration for Middlesbrough’s work with the striker, while Bamford is equally enthusiastic about remaining on Teesside in the hope of helping his current employers win promotion to the top-flight.

Beyond retaining Bamford, however, Karanka is anticipating a quiet transfer window, with the recruitment of a major new signing unlikely.

There is a chance that the Boro head coach could look to sign a new goalkeeper, with Jamal Blackman expected to return to Chelsea and first-choice Dimi Konstantopoulos due to become a free agent next summer.

When it comes to outfield players though, Karanka is simply looking forward to welcoming three of his long-term absentees back into the fold.

“At the moment, our best players in January can be Rhys Williams and Mustapha Carayol, as well as Jonathan Woodgate who is already back with the squad,” he said. “I think they can be like new signings, and apart from that, I am very happy with the squad I have.

“All the players are showing me that I can pick anyone for a game and they will all do a good job. The most important thing is the team, and all of them are doing really well for that.”