Steven Naismith backs Boyd to excel at Middlesbrough

STEVEN Naismith has backed Kris Boyd to be just as prolific a goalscorer at Middlesbrough as he was at Rangers.

The pair played together at Kilmarnock, before sealing their respective moves to the Scottish champions, and fellow forward Naismith knows better than most what his old team-mate has to offer. He watched as Boyd finished top goalscorer every season for Rangers, before writing his name into the history books when he replaced Henrik Larsson as the SPL's all-time top goalscorer. And, having taken Scottish football by storm, Naismith is confident his skills will transfer to the npower Championship after signing a two-year deal at the Riverside.

He said: "I think he will score goals wherever he plays and he has shown that throughout his career so far. It's another challenge for him and I'm sure he will score many goals for Middlesbrough.

"He has been in Scotland a long time, with Kilmarnock and Rangers, and it's probably just a different challenge for him."

Boyd's decision to quit Rangers and join Middlesbrough is likely to have raised a few eyebrows within the Ibrox faithful, having previously been courted by Birmingham and also linked with Wigan and Newcastle.

But Naismith pointed out that opting to join forces with former Celtic boss Gordon Strachan does not necessarily mean England's top flight was not an option.

He said: "I think Boydy had a lot of offers so it would be wrong of me to sit here and say he didn't get a move there because he wasn't good enough.

"He might have got a few offers from the Premiership. But I think he has looked at the full picture and decided the best move for him and his family was Middlesbrough."