Steve Agnew says he relishes the pressure of Middlesbrough's relegation battle

Middlesbrough head coach Steve Agnew says the pressure is not getting to him as he tries to keep the club in the Premier League.

The 51-year-old was asked to step into Aitor Karanka's shoes for the final 11 games of the season when the Spaniard left the Riverside Stadium on March 16 after almost three-and-a-half years in charge.

Agnew took over with Boro deep in trouble, and the club are five points adrift of safety after he began his reign with a loss at home to Manchester United.

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Agnew's men now face a seemingly pivotal week during which they will go head-to-head with fellow strugglers Swansea (Sunday, live on Sky Sports 1) and Hull inside four days.

However, Agnew is not getting stressed about the club's predicament and said: "I genuinely don't feel the pressure. The pressure is something I enjoy.

"When I go home, I'm quite relaxed. I'd be lying if I said that at 4am something didn't come into my mind, of course it does.

"But I'm quite relaxed about the situation. If you feel any pressure, then you shouldn't be involved in the game of football. It's a fast-working industry, it's something I have been involved in for a number of years, and I enjoy it.

"I know we have to start winning football matches but, for me, that's an enjoyable pressure.

"We're on a points total at the moment where we know we have to gain points, and the quicker the better.

"There's no target set but, if we can perform well on Sunday, then I'm sure that would be a positive towards the rest of the season."

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