adminBREAKING: Advantage to Oxford United as Middlesbrough star man have just been ruled out of Oxford game – with another player ‘touch and go’
GEORGE EDMUNDSON is unavailable for Middlesbrough’s weekend trip to Oxford United, but Adi Viveash is hoping Dael Fry will be passed fit to join Matt Targett in the squad at the Kassam Stadium.
Both Fry and Targett were forced off with injuries during the 2-1 win over Birmingham City that preceded the international break and have been receiving treatment in the last couple of weeks.
Targett has completely recovered from the foot problem he was suffering from before the Birmingham game and is set to start against Oxford. Fry suffered a recurrence of a long-standing calf issue a fortnight ago, and while he has been able to step up his training schedule this week, the centre-half remains touch and go for Saturday’s game.
“Dael is one we have to make a decision on tomorrow,” admitted Viveash. “There are a couple of others who have knocks in a similar position as well. That’s fairly standard when you have a few days off and then come back in and train with the intensity we do, a couple of little bangs here and there.
“We are expecting people to be okay, but there’s a couple we’ll have to monitor and see where they’re at. Matty Targett has trained really well after the problems he had against Birmingham – he’s recovered really well from that.”
Edmundson has been sidelined since suffering an injury in the early stages of September’s goalless draw with Stoke City. The centre-half returned to training at the start of the month and was an unused substitute in the draw at Leicester City, but suffered a hip issue in training that ruled him out of the squad for the Birmingham game.
“George is going to be out [for Oxford],” confirmed Viveash. “The hip bang he had has not settled unfortunately. We need that to settle before he can come back in.
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“We’re expecting Alpha Kante back in training next week, which is great. We’ve missed him, he’s been out a while, but that should give us a bit of a lift. Darragh [Lenihan] is unfortunately still quite some time away from being ready to join back in with the lads.”
A number of Boro’s players were away on international duty in the last fortnight. Sontje Hansen helped Curacao make history by qualifying for the World Cup finals thanks to a draw with Jamaica, while Alfie Jones will also be looking forward to next summer’s tournament in North America after making his competitive debut for Canada.
Riley McGree was playing with Australia, featuring in losses to Venezuela and Colombia in the US, while Aidan Morris was also Stateside, appearing as a substitute in the US’ win over Paraguay before starting the 5-1 victory over Uruguay.
“It’s been good to see the lads coming back after positive times away,” said Viveash. “We’ve still got a few of them due back in tomorrow. They’re coming back in dribs and drabs, and then obviously we’ll finalise our plans into the weekend. There will be some difficult decisions because it’s a really strong squad.
“Every game is different and there are always factors that might influence decisions. Having players away in the last week obviously, now coming back after long travel. Are there any knocks? Is there any fatigue? We’ve got great medical staff here and there are a lot of conversations before we pick the team.
“There is also the week ahead to consider. I’m preparing for Oxford, but the football club has three games in seven days and that has to be in my mind. Whether I’m the person selecting the team for the other two games or not doesn’t matter, I still have to consider that. We’ll try to get those key decisions right”.
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