Middlesbrough striker Patrick Bamford believes that Aitor Karanka is "very similar" to Jose Mourinho in the way he goes about his work.
The 21-year-old, who is on loan at the Riverside Stadium from parent club Chelsea, has spent time playing under both managers.
Karanka worked alongside Mourinho at Real Madrid before taking over at Boro in 2013, where he has enjoyed success by leading the club to the Championship playoffs.
"Aitor Karaka is very similar to Jose Mourinho in the detail he goes into with everything," Bamford told talkSPORT. "He spends every minute that he's not on the training pitch looking at the opposition and working out what we can do against them.
"His tactics are always on point. He manages the squad very well. It's very difficult with the squad we've got because we have so many players.
"There are always going to be people who are upset after being left out. So far he's done a good job. The team is really together."
Boro lead Brentford 2-1 heading into tomorrow's semi-final second-leg clash.
