Middlesbrough: Chelsea defender Kenneth Omeruo set to return

"I don't like him because he played a very good World Cup, I like him because he is a very good guy" - Aitor Karanka

Middlesbrough head coach Aitor Karanka expects Kenneth Omeruo to return to the club on loan from Chelsea next season.

The 20-year-old centre-back spent the second half of last term at the Riverside and played 14 games.

Omeruo started every game for Nigeria at the World Cup and hopes to eventually break into the Chelsea team.

"He wants to join us, Chelsea want to send the player and so for this reason I don't think we have problems in getting Ken again," said Karanka.

"I don't like him because he played a very good World Cup, I like him because he is a very good guy.

"He's a player who everybody knows here, everybody likes him and for this reason he is a player I want to take again."

The 40-year-old Spaniard guided Boro to 12th in the Championship last season after taking over from Tony Mowbray.

Karanka is looking to find a right-back and increase his attacking options for the new season, but said he would only bring in the right players.

"They are the two positions that we have to strengthen in the squad because we don't have a right-back and we need one," he told BBC Tees.

Karanka is about to take charge of his first full season at Boro, but he is unwilling to set any targets for the club, who have yet to finish in the top six since their relegation from the Premier League in 2009.

"I'm working every day to get promotion with the players but for this reason my philosophy or mentally is to think about the next game and not to think about what is happening in May next year," he said.