Middlesbrough battled hard to earn a draw against high-flying Stoke in the Championship during their last game and as the side gear up for their next difficult tie against Bournemouth, Chris Wilder will be desperate to ensure he has as many fit players as possible.

The new boss has managed to get the Riverside Stadium outfit playing some solid football and picking up some decent results. During that game though, he ended up seeing a number of players suffer injuries that he will be hoping won't keep them out of action for too long, admitting to Gazette Live that he will 'just have to wait and see.'

Matt Crooks was one, who suffered a knock to his knee and the manager will be eager to ensure he doesn't have to sit out on the sidelines for too long. As Boro's top goalscorer, it would be a blow to see him miss out on the action for too long.

 

 

Yet another name who may have to sit on the bench is Duncan Watmore, who is the next in the goalscoring rankings. He also went down with an injury in that game against Stoke and Chris Wilder, although he won't want to rush them back, will not want them out of action during the festive period.

It has left the second tier outfit in a predicament in terms of squad availability, with the manager now having to struggle to pick a starting eleven and also allow for rotation to ensure the side remain as fit as possible over the next chaotic few footballing weeks.

The positive news for now is that Chris Wilder is hopeful they will 'be okay' over the weekend and then train next week to ensure they could potentially play a part against the Cherries.

Speaking to Gazette Live about it, he said: "We just have to wait and see. Hopefully Matty, Jonah and Duncan have a good weekend and are okay going into next week."

If they can get as many of them as fit as possible, it would be a huge boost heading into the Bournemouth game.

The Verdict

Chris Wilder has done some solid work so far at Middlesbrough and picked up some decent results. If he can continue it into the next half of the campaign, then it could see them enter a battle for the top six in the latter stages of the season.

If Boro's injuries stack up though then it isn't good news for the former Sheffield United boss. The festive period is a hard time for players with the amount of fixtures so rotation is key.

If Wilder is limited in terms of who he can choose, then it could be hard for the side to navigate.

However, it sounds as though the injuries may not be long term - and, if they're lucky, they could have most of the sidelined players back in time for at least a cameo against Bournemouth.