Middlesbrough are facing a nervous wait on the condition of forward Andraz Sporar when he returns to the Riverside after he suffered an injury issue on international duty with Slovenia, according to the North Echo.
Sporar was set to take part in Slovenia’s World Cup qualifier against Cyrpus, but he was withdrawn from the starting line-up ahead of kick-off. That came after he had pulled up on the warm-up ahead of the game and was not in the right condition to take to the field for his nation.
The forward is now thought to be set to return to Middlesbrough where he will be assessed to see what damage has been done regarding the injury that kept him out of action for Slovenia’s game against Cyprus.
It is still hoped by new manager Chris Wilder that Sporar’s issue on international duty will not prevent him from featuring against Millwall in his first game in charge.
The 27-year-old has managed to complete the full 90 minutes for Slovenia during their 2-2 draw away in Slovakia on Thursday and he even managed to register an assist for one of his nation’s two goals during that game.
Having fired home three goals and provided two assists in his opening 12 Championship appearances for Boro under Warnock. The hope will be that he can hit the ground running and start to fire Middlesbrough up the table under Wilder if he can remain fit enough to feature.
The verdict
This could be a major blow for Wilder ahead of his first game in charge against Millwall. Sporar is a player that Middlesbrough rely on to provide extra quality and a goal threat in the final third and the new manager would have been keen to witness him in action firsthand at the Riverside.
However, Sporar could yet make a return to fitness in time to feature against Millwall and then Wilder will face a tough choice over whether to risk him or not from the start in his first match in charge of the club. Those are the sorts of decisions that he needs to get spot on to get his new side climbing the table.
You have to feel for Sporar because the last thing any player wants is to get injured ahead of a new manager taking over. Having said that, the forward is not someone that Wilder is not going to be aware of already and therefore even if he misses the first game there will be a lot of chances for him to prove his worth in the coming weeks.