Southgate backs Lita to fire Boro

Leroy Lita adds a second for Middlesbrough against Doncaster

Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate believes striker Leroy Lita could be a thorn in the side of their Championship rivals this season.

Lita, 24, scored his first Boro goal against Doncaster on Saturday and Southgate is confident it can be the first of many for the Teessiders.

"He will score goals, there's no doubt about that," he told BBC Tees.

"He's been knocking on the door in the last few games, he wants to score goals, it's a great attribute to have."

The 2-0 win against Doncaster at the Riverside was the club's third win in four games, and continued the club's unbeaten start to the season.

Only Cardiff have a better record in terms of goal difference and Southgate believes the performance bar has been raised by all departments of his side this season.

"We've got to keep our standards very high now, we allowed things in the past to slip, we're not prepared to let that happen again," he said.

"We set them a target, the back-five wanted the clean sheet, that equals the club's best start to the season defensively, and they've got to go on now and try to break more records."