Middlesbrough manager Chris Wilder is set to launch an investigation into his new side’s injury problem, according to The Northern Echo.
Middlesbrough have had Anfernee Dijksteel, Darnell Fisher, Dael Fry, Grant Hall, Marc Bola, Connor Malley, Martin Payero, Sammy Ameobi, Marcus Browne, and Uche Ikpeazu all out injured in recent weeks. Whilst there are worries about Andraz Sporar and Paddy McNair’s fitness ahead of this weekend’s clash with Millwall.
This is certainly a worry for Wilder, who is looking to address the growing injury list.
In the interview with The Northern Echo, he was asked about his squad being imbalanced and the reasons behind this. He came to the conclusion that this is mostly due to the number of players out.
“Is the squad imbalanced because of injuries? Of course, it is,” said Wilder.
“That’s something that has been an issue for the previous manager, so we’ve got to look at that because we want the best players out on the pitch. Hopefully, we can get to the bottom of that.
“Some are impact injuries that you can’t do anything about, but some are muscle injuries where we have to look to try to connect that department back into the football club.”
Despite the aforementioned list of players out, the likes of Dijskteel, Hall, Malley, Payero, Bola, and Browne could be back in contention very soon. Wilder will be hoping some will be fit and available as early as this weekend.
Middlesbrough begin their Wilder regime at home to Millwall on Saturday, where they will be hoping to end their three game winless run. Before the international break three consecutive wins were diminished by two defeats and a draw, with previous boss Neil Warnock sacked soon after.
Thoughts
This has been a huge issue for Middlesbrough both last season and this season. Warnock didn’t have a fully fit squad to choose from throughout his entire tenure at the club and Wilder will be hoping he can do just that if he addresses the issue.
It may be training regimes or fitness regimes which have caused this and a change in management might help to counteract this.
