Aitor Karanka urges Middlesbrough defender Ben Gibson to focus on his football amid Chelsea links

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Vaishali Bhardwaj13 January 2017

Middlesbrough boss Aitor Karanka has urged defender Ben Gibson to keep focused on his football after the 23-year-old was linked with a transfer to Chelsea.

Reports this week have claimed that Blues boss Antonio Conte wants Gibson to be John Terry's long-term successor at the club as the Chelsea captain edges closer to the end of his contract this summer.

Gibson only signed a new five-year contract with Middlesbrough last August, and has played every single minute of the club's 20 top-flight matches this term.

And Boro boss Karanka insisted on Thursday that he wants to keep Gibson at the club for the long haul, and urged the centre-back to focus his attentions on continuing to improve his skills.

He said: "The main thing for him if he wants to grow and he wants to improve is to forget everything, to know that if he is not playing well, the following day he will go to the bench or to the stand.

"That's the only way to improve, playing every day 100 per cent. When one player, especially one defender, is playing well, it's because the team from a defensive point of view is doing really well, but not just this season, for the last three seasons.

"He has a lot of potential. Top teams are speaking about him, the national team is speaking about him.

"But the main thing for him is to forget everything because he is playing - if he plays - on Saturday against Watford and if he thinks [about] other kind of things, he can make a big mistake."

Speaking upon signing his contract in August, Gibson told the club's official website he envisioned staying for the full duration of his deal.

He said: "I'm over the moon. I just want to make sure the next five years are in the Premier League with this club.

"It's a dream come true for me really and it's amazing for me and my family."

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