AITOR KARANKA has reiterated that Middlesbrough will not be ‘going crazy’ in the summer.

Boro’s 2-0 win at Brighton and Hove Albion placed Karanka’s side 11 points off the play-offs with seven games to play, but a finish in the top six is fanciful at best.

Karanka began his squad rebuilding in the January transfer window, bringing in Lee Tomlin on a permanent deal while securing Kenneth Omeruo, Nathaniel Chalobah and Tomas Mejias on loan.

And while Boro are starting to find form again, Karanka will look to continue the rebuilding in the summer.

Middlesbrough’s financial position may prevent Karanka from doing the business he would have normally liked, but the Spaniard is acutely aware of the need to be creative at the end of the season.

“When I arrived here I said the important thing was to work together, to try to make the best team for next season without spending too much money or going crazy,” said Karanka after Albert Adomah and Danny Graham scored the goals for the Teessiders at the Amex Stadium.

“We have good players, a very good attitude, a very good atmosphere.

“We need to improve the squad but always without going crazy.”

For once, Middlesbrough were the winning side having dominated proceedings, and Karanka felt that his side were no better than they were two months ago - but this time they are scoring goals.

“We have played a lot of very good games,” said Karanka. “We played very well because we played against a very good team in their stadium.

“For this maybe you could think it was our best game. But I’m happy because we won the game but we have played a lot of games in the last month in the same way and we couldn’t win.

When you play well and win the games it is better for you.

“I told my players we needed to go for the game from the first minute. Brighton are the kind of team whom if you let them play, they play very well. We needed to press them very high and not let them play.

“We had chances and we didn’t let them play.”

Karanka is four months into the job at Middlesbrough, and can count on one hand the amount of times he has been angry with his side, something he feels bodes well for the rest of the season.

“My players in these four months, I think just three or four games I can tell them something bad,” said Karanka.

“All the rest of the games they have played very well and worked very well. For this I am very happy and improving every day in this league.

“I am lucky because I am in a very good team and a very good club.

"Danny Graham scored a goal and took his gift very well. It's good for me, and it's good for the team.

"We showed we can win well.

"I think we have played in the same way in every game, but we haven't scored goals. That was the difference at Brighton, we scored goals. I am happy because we are playing with 16 players, we don't have many defenders, it is March going into April and we are playing well, with a high tempo."