Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate has praised his youngsters for gaining their footballing education on the job.

The Teessiders, who lost big names Stewart Downing, Robert Huth and Tuncay Sanli during the summer transfer window, have put their faith in youth and have not been let down.

Established Academy graduates Tony McMahon, David Wheater, Andrew Taylor and Adam Johnson have been joined in the first team by the likes of Jonathan Grounds and Rhys Williams in recent weeks to reduce the average age further.

Southgate said: "If you take Danny Coyne out of the side, the average age is around early 20s so they are maturing very quickly together as a group.

"But what we have at this football club at the moment is a group of players who have got pride in playing in the shirt, who are working their socks of for each other, who are very receptive to coaching ideas we are putting across, who want to learn and improve and they have all got a point to prove in their career.

"You need a hungry group of players and we have got that."