It was an hour before kick-off at Milton Keynes last month. The team sheet dropped. Here we go again. Or so I thought.

Albert Adomah wasn't even among the subs. Afterwards, Aitor Karanka didn't hesitate.

"It was a tactical decision," he said.

"I know how important Albert is for us, but when you have our squad I have to try and choose the right 18."

On reflection, that "tactical" decision by Karanka was a masterstroke. If it was a "tactical" kick up the backside it's worked wonders ever since.

After being dropped for MK Dons, Adomah came off the bench at Elland Road to add urgency to Boro's attacks.

He's played every game since. Karanka has played him on the right and from the left. On Friday night Adomah ghosted into gaps through the middle and hurtled towards goal leaving defenders in his wake.

He's in blistering form right now - and the credit must be shared with his manager.

Back in August it seemed unlikely Adomah would still be a Boro player by the time the summer window closed.

He'd rowed with his manager and handed in a transfer request. But by mid-September they were hugging on the touchline and rebuilding a professional relationship.

The fact that Adomah looks likely to be a key player in the run-in is a feather in Karanka's cap.

He and Adomah could easily be judged chalk and cheese.

The manager is stern and serious in public. Adomah almost always wears his smile.

He's enjoying the game and having a laugh, not always at appropriate moments.

And regardless of the fact the pair may never be best mates, they seem to have realised they need each other.

Much is made of Karanka's similarities with Jose Mourinho.

Mourinho, so the story goes, falls out with his players and is suspicious of free spirits.

In his episodes with Adomah, Karanka has stepped out of his tutor's shadow.

He's shown himself adept at defusing a situation and worked hard to reintegrate a maverick into his team.

Karanka seems to have recognised Adomah's worth.

Adomah, for his part, has responded twice to Karanka's managerial jolts.

I'll resist the temptation to label the winger as a player with the potential to be Boro's Jamie Vardy in the Premier League.

You'll take my point, though?

Because Adomah's unpredictability and raw talent mean he could easily stand out in the top division.

He'll just need to be managed properly on the way up.

Next time he's benched or left out of the squad I won't worry as much.

Just don't expect it to happen any time soon.