Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick revealed that Hayden Hackney and Dael Fry are likely to miss Boro’s trip to Leeds United on Saturday due to injury.
The Boro duo suffered knocks in the 3-2 defeat at Bristol on Saturday before missing the 4-0 home win against Preston North End in mid-week.
Both players have been central to Carrick’s setup at the Riverside this season. Centre-back Fry played every minute of the Championship season before missing the Preston match, while central midfielder Hackney has made 20 appearances in all competitions.
However, it appears that Fry and Hackney could also miss Boro’s upcoming clash against fellow promotion chasers Leeds on Saturday. Boro currently sit 10th and eight points behind third-placed Leeds.
When speaking to Teesside Live after the 4-0 win over Preston, Carrick provided an update on Fry and Hackney’s potential recovery time.
“They both felt niggles towards the end of the game on Saturday – Hayden in his groin, Dael his hamstring. It was just the last couple of days, so we’re still assessing the severity of both at the moment to see where they’re at.”
The pairs’ injuries leave Middlesbrough particularly short in the midfield and defensive positions, with Darragh Lenihan, Tom Smith, Riley McGree and Lewis O’Brien also sidelined.
Boro travel to Leeds this weekend in the middle of a demanding five-match spell in just 16 days. However, while Carrick is frustrated by a growing injury list, he remained upbeat about preparing well for the Leeds fixture.
“It tends to be the way it’s going at the minute. We’ve got eight senior lads out tonight which is the makings of a pretty good team in itself.”
“But that’s just the way it and it’s why we have the squad that we have. We can’t make excuses we’ve just got to make the most of it, and to be fair, the boys cracked on with it tonight, and we’ll prepare again and do our best for Saturday.”
Wrtier’s View
Being without several senior players in key positions makes Middlesbrough’s trip to Leeds even tougher, especially as the Whites have won their last six at Elland Road.
But impressive performances from defender Rav van den Berg and midfielder Daniel Barlaser in place of the reliable Fry and Hackney will give Carrick confidence that he has enough depth at his disposal to give Leeds a competitive match in Yorkshire.
