Signed in the summer transfer window of 2015 from the Foxes in a deal worth a reported £4m, Nugent arrived at the Riverside Stadium ready to spearhead Karanka’s attack.
Having scored just five goals for Leicester in the Premier League the season before, the then 30-year-old was deemed surplus to requirements at the King Power Stadium, but with a deadly goalscoring record in the second tier, Boro jumped at the opportunity to land a proven marksman.
Nugent would largely establish himself as Karanka’s starting centre-forward during the first half of the season, but with goals throughout the team in general being a slight concern, the big-money winter window arrival of Jordan Rhodes on deadline day saw him move more into a rotational piece in the second half of the campaign.
Nevertheless, the veteran striker would still play a part in the majority of Boro’s games, and he would be the architect behind some of the biggest goals of Middlesbrough’s season. It was his 91st minute header that clinched a vital 1-0 win and three points at home to promotion rivals Hull City on matchday 38.
Nugent then turned provider for two critical strikes. First it was his delivery that was nodded home by Rhodes in the 91st minute to steal a 2-1 victory away at Bolton, before being the one to knock the ball across to Cristhian Stuani to score Boro’s only goal in a 1-1 draw with Brighton on the final day of the season, which was enough to seal promotion on that unforgettable afternoon at the Riverside.
In a season where Karanka’s side scored just 63 league goals, which was the lowest of any top-six side in the Championship that year, Nugent’s eight goals and seven assists were like gold dust to Middlesbrough.
Without them, Boro likely wouldn’t have carried enough attacking threat to score enough goals and win enough matches to finish in the automatic promotion spots.
Middlesbrough still received value for money on David Nugent despite Premier League snub
The Premier League beckoned for Boro, and so did the arrival of fresh recruits to bolster their survival hopes.
One of a number of eye-catching signings Middlesbrough made in the summer of 2016 was renowned striker Alvaro Negredo, who joined on loan from La Liga side Valencia.
