Former Middlesbrough defender Chris Riggott believes Gordon Strachan is the right manager to take the club back into the Premier League.

Riggott, 29, ended a seven-year association at the end of this season but is confident Strachan can lift the club from the Championship.

"They're on the way back up now," Riggott told BBC Tees.

"He's a very good manager, and getting down to the exact fine details, I've never come across anyone better."

Riggott's career on Teesside was affected by a series of injuries which limited his first-team appearances to 148 in seven years.

However the defender said Strachan's work in bringing him back to fitness at the end of the current season was testament to the quality of the Scotsman and his staff.

"The training is the best I've ever done. If you ask the lads it's tough, and the first thing anyone would say is that it is hard work, but at the end of the week you feel like you're prepared and ready for the games," Riggott added.

"I'd put him on a par [with Steve McClaren]. Strachan has come in with Garry Pendrey and obviously now Gary McAllister's come in, I think that will be tough to beat."

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