Middlesbrough FC news: Ex-Liverpool and Leeds United striker earns plaudits as former Boro man says season must be completed

Keane, who played for several clubs including Tottenham and Liverpool, joined Boro’s backroom staff in the summer to partner ex-Leeds United team-mate Jonathan Woodgate at the Riverside.

Strachan briefly worked with Keane when the forward was a teenager at Coventry City, where the frontman’s impressive performances earned him a move to Inter Milan.

Despite his short stay, the young striker still made a positive impression with the Sky Blues.

“One of the urban myths about footballers is that they are all thick,” Strachan told The Star.

“One or two might not be clever but you don’t get anywhere in the world if you can’t take in information and use it. Robbie had it.

“Tell him something once and he’ll take it in. Others can’t get to the next level because they don’t know how to take the information in.

“Robbie was just a natural footballer in every way.”

Former Boro midfielder says season must be completed

Sky Sports pundit and former Boro midfielder Chris Kamara says the 2019/20 season should be completed – but is well aware that health and safety must come first.

All professional football in England has been suspended until at least April 30 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking on Good Morning Sports Fans, Kamara said: “Please God, the main thing most of the people I talk to, we want to finish the season, whether it goes into June, July, August, we want to finish this season.

“We can start as soon as possible, finish the season and then the governing bodies can start to worry about how to start the next season.”

He added: “Football is secondary now, at the moment.

“I love my football, I’ve been involved with football for 45 years, but I have never, ever known anything like this at all.

“The NHS workers are absolutely magnificent, the jobs that they are doing. The doctors and the nurses are putting themselves and their lives on the line for us - it’s just astounding.”