Sky Bet Championship: Middlesbrough confirm Aitor Karanka as

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Middlesbrough have confirmed the appointment of Aitor Karanka as the club's new head coach.

The Spaniard has signed a two-and-a-half-year deal at the Riverside and becomes the club's first foreign head coach.

Boro have been without a permanent boss since Tony Mowbray's departure last month, but chairman Steve Gibson has acted after Karanka was heavily linked with the vacant managerial position at Crystal Palace.

"It's a very important day for me," Karanka told a press conference. "It's my first job and the best thing for me because I am joining a club that is like a family with big facilities, a big stadium and big supporters.