Kim Hellberg has heaped praise on one tireless Middlesbrough star for his recent performances.

Middlesbrough manager Kim Hellberg has been left in awe of midfielder Aidan Morris following his recent exploits.

The dynamic midfielder was part of the United States squad that faced Belgium and Portugal in friendlies in Atlanta, Georgia, during the recent international break. Morris sat out the 5-2 loss to the Red Devils, before playing 79 minutes against the likes of Vitinha and Bruno Fernandes, in a match that only started in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Incredibly, Morris then returned to Teesside and played the full 90 minutes against Millwall on Friday afternoon, before doing so again at Swansea on Monday.

Morris was actually one of Boro’s best players in both matches, particularly impressing in the 2-2 draw in South Wales with four chances created, five shots, four tackles and 10 duels won from 16 contested.

Boro boss Hellberg is struggling to understand how the 24-year-old had the energy reserves for such performances, straight off the back of a brutally demanding travel schedule and match calendar with his country - who will co-host this summer’s FIFA World Cup.

"I cannot understand how he can go and put out those two 90 minutes after coming home in the middle of the night and run that much and play for the team and fight and be in both of the boxes," Hellberg said of Morris, who now has 14 senior caps for the Stars and Stripes.

"I just cannot understand."

Boro will need another huge performance from Morris on Saturday when they face relegation-threatened Portsmouth. Hellberg’s side are looking to overturn a five-game winless run that’s seen them slip to third in the Championship table, behind Ipswich Town on goal difference and with two games extra on the board.

The pressure is high at the top, with Millwall also on 72 points, while the likes of Hull City (68 points) and Southampton (66 points) cannot be discounted from the automatic promotion race yet.

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