Aitor Karanka can still remember the text message he received from Jose Mourinho, on the day he was appointed as the new manager of Nottingham Forest:

“He said that I’d made a good choice. He knows about the size and history of this club and wished me good luck.”

Mourinho, a key figure in Karanka’s career path after appointing him as his assistant at Real Madrid in 2010, also wrote the foreword to the book of the excellent film I Believe In Miracles, which tells the story of Forest’s successive European Cup triumphs under Brian Clough.

And it was only a club with such rich history and expectation that was going to persuade Karanka to consider a return to the Championship.

“Coming back to this league may have looked like a step back, but for me this is a step forward because it’s not a normal club,” says Karanka, sitting in his office at Forest’s training ground for his first major newspaper interview since taking charge.

Nottingham Forest are two-time winners of the European Cup credit: GETTY IMAGES

“When you’re not here, you know about the history but to actually go into the boardroom and see the two European Cups, you realise it’s huge.

“The history is a motivation, every time I wear the two stars I am representing Nottingham Forest. It’s a privilege and I cannot understand a big club without pressure.”

Karanka is determined to create some history of his own and become the manager who finally delivers Forest back to the Premier League, following his appointment in January.

After a difficult start, he has delivered the anticipated impact. One defeat in eight games suggests Forest – currently 17th in the Championship - will be a different proposition next season.

The 44 year-old already has one promotion on his CV, from his time at Middlesbrough, and on Saturday he returns to Teesside for the first time since he left by mutual consent last March.

Aitor Karanka won promotion to the Premier League with Middlebrough credit: GETTY IMAGES

“I was the first foreign coach in their history and to put them in the Premier League was an honour,” he says. “It had been a really tough two-and-a-half years. The first year was difficult because I was living alone in my first job, with a different language and culture. The atmosphere was depressed and there were only 10,000 in the stadium.

“The following season we played 55 games and lost in the play-off final [to Norwich]. The toughest moment was in the summer when I returned to my office and put all the 50 fixtures back on the board.

“But to finish second and go up the next year was an incredible feeling. When we got promoted I cried in the dressing room for 45 minutes.”

The next season was one of regrets: Middlesbrough’s existence as a Premier League club was brief, fraught with problems and largely forgettable. There were frequent reports of tension over transfers before Karanka’s departure, but he still considers chairman Steve Gibson a friend.

“We considered it and the best thing for the club was to separate, for both of us. It couldn’t work at the end but the relationship we still have is amazing. Until now, Middlesbrough had been the only place I’d managed so there were many good moments.”

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Karanka’s return to the Riverside also promises to be poignant, for more personal reasons. His father, Fernando, died in September after a short battle with cancer and was a regular visitor while Karanka was in charge.

“Of course it will be emotional because he was my mentor and greatest supporter. It was one of the best experiences to spend the 10 days with my father before he passed away,” he said.

“After leaving Middlesbrough I needed the time out. There were quite a few offers [he was interviewed by Swansea and West Brom] but I was waiting for the right opportunity.

“I was out of work for 10 months but when I met the chairman [Nicholas Randall] in Madrid for the first time I knew this was going to be the next step in my career.”

Karanka is clearly enthused by the challenge ahead. He can sometimes appear stern in press conferences but away from the spotlight he is animated, passionate and fully in tune with the new era at Forest.

Aitor Karanka is optimistic has can transform Nottingham Forest's fortunes credit: GETTY IMAGES

After the takeover by Evangelos Marinakis last summer, and removal of unpopular former owner Fawaz Al Hasawi, there is now optimism and a tangible feeling of reintegration with supporters, with Karanka at the forefront.

His relationship with Mourinho remains close: they speak most days and barely five minutes after the final whistle of Forest’s 2-0 win at Wolves in January, the Manchester United manager was calling to offer his congratulations.

Karanka will need more notable results like that next season, making no secret of the fact that promotion is the aim, though it required a brutal cull in January to kick-start his tenure. After a tepid 3-0 home defeat to Preston, he looked around the dressing room and realised drastic changes were crucial. Eight players came in before deadline day, with seven going out.

“My feeling was that a lot of people were really complacent, the pressure and blame was always on the manager. Another one sacked, then another one! I’m not here to be the next one, not for a long time I hope,” he says.

Evangelos Marinakis is the new owner of Nottingham Forest credit: AFP

“The Preston game was the best thing that happened because we realised we had to change a lot of things. I don’t know what would have happened if we’d won that game. Now the players know the challenge, the aim, and it’s different.

“It wasn’t just a message for the dressing room, it was for everyone. To work here should not be easy, unless you’re working hard.”

It will be 20 years next season when Forest last operated in the top flight: the campaign when Ron Atkinson infamously walked to the wrong dug-out.

“The young supporters here have never seen the team in the Premier League and yet they will keep hearing about the history – they won’t know how big this club is.

“The worst thing is when you feel comfortable being in that situation, as a Championship team. My aim is to get promotion and it will need hard work, but we are all here together to try and do it.”