Middlesbrough defender Rav van den Berg is expected to be ruled out of tomorrow night’s EFL Cup third-round clash versus League Two outfit Bradford City, according to head coach Michael Carrick.
The Dutch teenager, who signed for an undisclosed fee during the summer on a four-year deal, started on Saturday as Boro picked up their first three points of the season, beating Southampton to kick the Saints while they’re down.
Despite centre-back being his primary position, the 19-year-old started at right-back against Southampton at the Riverside Stadium but was taken off 17 minutes from the end after feeling a pain at the top of his hamstring.
Tommy Smith was van den Berg’s replacement on the right side of the defence and it looks as though the former Huddersfield Town star will be forced back into the starting lineup tomorrow too.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Carrick admitted that the game against the Bantams may come too soon for the Dutchman [quotes via The Northern Echo]:
“We’re still having a look at Rav. He had a pain at the top of his hamstring. We’ll give him an extra day or two to see exactly where he’s at.
“We’ll have to wait and see, but Bradford probably comes a bit too quick for him.”
Nevertheless, Carrick also admitted that there is a concern with rushing Smith back into the team after just returning from his own injury layoff:
“Tommy is getting better, but he’s had a bit of a stop-start period after getting injured in pre-season.
“He came back and played a couple of weeks before missing another chunk after a slight setback. So, he’s finding his rhythm still and there’s a little element of being patient with him right now.”
Writer’s View
Former Derby County defender Matt Clarke has just returned to training too after missing the guts of a year through injury. However, Clarke has been featuring for Boro’s U21s in an attempt to return to match fitness which is positive news for the gaffer.
Regarding the right-back problem, it’s likely that Smith will have to take the berth for tomorrow, even if he is not fully fit yet. However, Carrick will be praying that the 31-year-old comes away unscathed from proceedings.
