AITOR KARANKA was impressed with Tomas Kalas’ Middlesbrough debut – and feels the Czech Republic international will solve a problem position for the Teessiders.

Kalas, 20, signed on loan until the end of the season from Chelsea, and made his first start for the club in Middlesbrough’s 0-0 draw at Reading on Saturday.

The defender slotted straight into the right-back role and Karanka is convinced that Kalas can be the missing piece in the puzzle as Boro plot their course towards the Premier League.

“Tomas was very good,” said Karanka of the player who spent the first half of the season at German outfit FC Koln. “It’s difficult for a player who is not playing to come into a new team, but it wasn’t a surprise for me. I know him, I know what kind of player he is.

“He played last season in an amazing game for Chelsea against Liverpool at Anfield. I’ve known him a long time so it’s no surprise. He’s with us and from now he will improve.

“He has showed that he is a good player even after just one game. He is young but he is experienced. He played 90 minutes for us and he could have been completely dead but he played a full game. I’ve got another week to work with him and he will improve.”

Karanka has had to shuffle his pack at right-back, with injury to Ryan Fredericks forcing the Spaniard to play Emilio Nsue and Dean Whitehead before Rhys Williams started there in the FA Cup only to suffer an Achilles rupture.

But in Kalas, Karanka feels he has found the right player for the job.

He added: “He is a player who has a good future but he’s a very good player for the present, in a position that holds great importance for me – the right back role. We have had problems with this position but with him now we are much better, the position is covered with a very good player.”

Karanka was left to rue a raft of missed chances against Reading, and feels his side could be six points better off had they finished off Blackburn and Blackpool in recent weeks as well.

“At the beginning when I arrived here, a clean sheet was unusual, but now it’s not enough for us,” said the Boro boss.” We need to win the games, if I think now about two points against Blackpool, Blackburn and Reading, we could be at the top of the table.

“I prefer to be optimistic and I prefer to think about the future, and we are now one point better than we were last week.

The game marked the first meeting between Karanka and Steve Clarke, who both served their time as assistants to Jose Mourinho. Clarke, appointed Royals manager last month, hopes that the good fortune afforded to Boro – the Teessiders have loaned Kenneth Omeruo, Kalas, Patrick Bamford, and Jamal Blackman this season – will soon be extended to Reading too.

Clarke said: “I’m only in the job four weeks, all those deals were already in place. They’ve got some good players from Chelsea, Kalas did well, Bamford’s a good player – we almost got him here in the summer, he was close, so hopefully if that type of deal can come up in the future, hopefully I’ll have as good a chance as Middlesbrough of getting some players.”