Middlesbrough boss Aitor Karanka believes that reaching the Championship playoff final is a just reward for his team of promotion hopefuls.

Since taking charge in November 2013, former Real Madrid assistant Karanka has guided Boro from the lower reaches of the division into strong contenders to reach the top flight.

The Teesside club are now just one game away from returning to the Premier League for the first time in six years, and Karanka is adamant that his side more than deserve their place in the Wembley showdown alongside Norwich City.

"I think it's amazing for everybody, especially for me," he told Sky Sports News. "I came here 18 months ago and I couldn't imagine at that time we would be playing at Wembley.

"We're going there because, like I said after the game on Friday, the players have had an amazing season and have done an amazing job every single day. For this reason they deserve to be at Wembley."

Boro beat Norwich in both regular-season fixtures this term, although they finished one point behind the Canaries in the Championship table.