MIDDLESBROUGH head coach Aitor Karanka admitted he is spoilt for choice after watching his side strengthen their position at the top of the Championship.

A comprehensive 3-0 win at Rotherham United moved the Teessiders up to third in the table, two points behind leaders Watford with Norwich City next up at the Riverside Stadium tomorrow night.

The Millers played a third of the game with ten men after Jordan Bowery was sent off in the 31st minute, but even then Boro looked comfortable after goals from Patrick Bamford and debutant Yanic Wildschut had given them a two-goal lead inside 20 minutes.

Wildschut was one of four changes Karanka made at the New York Stadium with Emilio Nsue, Adam Reach and Grant Leadbitter all coming into his side.

The Spaniard talked repeatedly over the summer of his desire to end the transfer window with a stronger squad than he finished last season with and it is evident he has a group of players that can mount a genuine promotion challenge.

It seems no matter who Karanka picks, Boro can get a result and the fact Albert Adomah and Kenneth Omeruo weren’t even on the bench and Rhys Williams, Muzzy Carayol, Jonathan Woodgate and Damia Abella are all still to come back bodes well for the season.

“Maybe we can get permission to play with 12 or 13 players!” Karanka joked. “It’s very good for me to have a lot of options, because at this moment we have a very strong squad and they are all playing very well.

“You can have a lot of players, but imagine if we had the same squad and ten or 11 players were not training in the way that I would like. They would maybe only play ten or 20 minutes in the way I like. I have a very good squad and all of them can play in any moment.

“I don’t like to speak about my players but look at Jelle (Vossen). He only played 20 minutes but his attitude was perfect and that’s the kind of player I want in my team.

“Players like Jelle, who are experienced and play in their national team. He started on the bench but he came on for 20 minutes and he was working, running and fighting for the team.”

Rotherham were infuriated when Bowery was dismissed for a kick on George Friend five minutes after replacing the injured Alex Revell and Millers’ boss Steve Evans described the decision as “absolutely shocking, awful, woeful, disgraceful, abject.”

Had the Teessiders finished taken their chances the score line could have been significantly higher, but Karaka was pleased nonetheless.

He said: “We didn’t start the game very well and we conceded a few chances in the first few minutes but after that we played with the intensity that I want and when we do that we have the quality to score goals.

“Last week we had lots of chances but only scored one, but this week we had two in the first 20 minutes and we scored both those chances.

“We were controlling the game (when Bowery was sent off). We were confident and winning 2-0 so I don’t think the sending off what a big thing.”

Karanka’s decision to hand Wildschut his first start proved a masterstroke.

The Dutch winger, who arrived from Heerenveen in the summer, has had to be patient for his chance, but he terrorised the Millers with his pace and balls into the box.

“I am very happy with him and he is training well,” the Boro head coach said. “With me, the players will always get a chance. Yanic got his chance and he played very well, not just because he scored one goal, his work was very good.”

Middlesbrough were backed by a healthy away following of 2,618 in South Yorkshire and Karanka paid tribute to their supporters.

“When I arrived I didn’t know where we were playing, because our crowd was noisier than the home crowd and we were playing away. It was like playing at the Riverside.

“I am very pleased to have their support and we will try to keep going in the same way so we can do something together.”