Clayton looks for Boro response

Adam Clayton has urged his Middlesbrough teammates to move on quickly from defeat to Burnley as they look to avoid a relegation scrap.

Andre Gray’s late goal condemned Boro to defeat on Boxing Day, with the Clarets leapfrogging them in the table as a result.

It was a disappointing outcome for Aitor Karanka’s team, who had hammered Swansea the week before, but Clayton insists they cannot dwell on that disappointment as the fixtures come thick and fast during the festive period.

He said: “We have to brush ourselves down and go again.

“One win takes you a long way in this division, and two even further – that was our aim [at Burnley], to pick up back to back wins.

“But it’s a tough game, and there are 11 other people trying to stop you.

“You’ve got to put that result to the back of your mind – we’re used to playing Saturday-Tuesday football in the Championship and in the past we have responded well to bad results.

“We’ve got Manchester United on Saturday and now we look forward to that.”