MIDDLESBROUGH winger Mustapha Carayol has revealed how he already feels more at home on the south coast after last week’s short term loan to Brighton.

The 26-year-old joined the Seagulls for a month a week ago and he is set to make his debut against Boro’s promotion rivals Norwich City on Friday afternoon.

Aitor Karanka, the Middlesbrough head coach, was keen to ensure Carayol would be back before the end of the campaign in case he was needed for a play-off battle.

The Brighton switch was also viewed as if it could help him to build up his match fitness after struggling to force his way back in to the first team after a long cruciate ligament injury lay-off.

Carayol can’t wait to get going, suggesting his first week at the Amex Stadium has already left a good impression.

He said: “I’m excited. I’ve not played a lot of football as you all know. I’ve been out for just over 12 months and have played a few Under-21s games but it’s not the same as playing first team football.

“I just need to get over the next hurdle and get some game time. I’m from London, so I feel comfortable here and it’s more like home to me.

“Chris Hughton told me that I would get the chance to play some football and as I’m from south it was a win-win situation.

“The training ground is amazing; we came and played an Under-21s game and everything is in place for it to be a Premier League club. I’ve been to the stadium and it’s one of the best three grounds in the league, so it’s definitely a big club that’s destined to do big things in the near future.”

With Brighton’s play-off chances over already, Middlesbrough have the opportunity to beat them to the Premier League if they can end the season strongly.

The defeat at Bournemouth 12 days ago has left the Teessiders a point behind the leaders going in to Friday's visit of Wigan Athletic to the Riverside. A victory seems vital given that a trip to second-placed Watford is on the horizon on Monday.

Karanka is desperate to see a positive reaction over Easter following the crushing defeat at Bournemouth, although he is satisfied generally with the way his team have performed over the course of the campaign.

Middlesbrough even managed to stay in the promotion mix following the departure of his assistant, Craig Hignett, in December. He left after a disagreement with Karanka following the home defeat to Blackburn at the end of November.

And Hignett revealed: “If I’m honest I had a falling out with the head coach. Me and Aitor had a disagreement and unfortunately it couldn’t be rectified and I left.

“We obviously couldn’t work together and that was disappointing. Boro is my club, I spent almost 20 years at the club in one capacity or another.

“It was just a clash of personalities if you like. I’d worked with Aitor and got on well with him at the start but things deteriorated towards the end.

“Myself and Aitor weren’t compatible with each other. I couldn’t put up with some of the things that were happening there and he probably couldn’t put up with some of the things I wanted or could see happening.

“Unfortunately these things happen in football sometimes and you learn to get on with it. While it was disappointing, Steve Gibson is still a fantastic friend and he’ll speak to me every week.”

But Hignett still admires the coaching of the Spaniard. He said: “Aitor has been fantastic, I’ve learned an awful lot from him. He’s a clone of Jose Mourinho so for me to be involved for the best part of 12 months, see how it all works and put the coaching sessions on, I’ll take that away with me.

“The lads will tell you they loved every session he put on. They were different, they were intense, they were organised and they were structured.

“The job he’s done, coupled with the chairman who has chucked a few quid at it this year, is fantastic.”