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Spanish forward Alvaro Negredo says he is glad that Valencia loaned him to Middlesbrough and he hopes to continue playing in England beyond this season. Negredo has scored five goals and set up three more in 16 league appearances for Boro since returning to the Premier League this summer on a season-long loan, having previously played for Manchester City. Negredo told Cadena Ser radio: "I'm very happy here, I'm enjoying myself. I'm playing and that is what I wanted. "I needed to play again. I didn't have continuity at Valencia and now I have it here. "Besides, I knew the Premier League so it hasn't been difficult to adapt." The 31-year-old won the Premier League title and the League Cup with City before leaving the Etihad stadium in the summer of 2014 for a loan spell at Valencia which eventually became a permanent deal. Negredo scored 11 goals for Valencia in 30 games last season but only started in 12 La Liga encounters. Valencia, with just three wins in their 15 league games, are 17th in La Liga heading into the New Year and level on 12 points with Sporting Gijon, who are in the relegation zone. "It's a very complicated situation," Negredo said. "They are going through a very difficult time. I know what they are going through as I experienced that last year. "We struggled and the results didn't go our way. They have made changes and the situation is the same. "Valencia are accustomed to fighting for European qualifying places and not to be battling against relegation as other teams are." The more a team struggles, Negredo says, the bigger the challenge. "It's not easy to try to find solutions when the pressure is so strong and you have the fans that demand so much," he said. "The legs don't respond when you are tense even though you want it to. But unity is the key to coming out of this situation." Negredo is under contract with Valencia until June 2019 but the former Sevilla star has hinted he would like to remain in England next season. "I can only say that I'm very happy here," he said. "I don't know what will happen in the future. I have a contract with Valencia. We shall see."
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