Middlesbrough injury report before the start of the season
Middlesbrough are likely to be without six first-team players for the season opener against Swansea City, as Darragh Lenihan has been added to the list of confirmed absentees, while Riley McGree is a severe doubt.
Boro had hoped that their injury problems would improve this season after two years of hardship. However, after missing Seny Dieng, George Edmundson, and Finn Azaz throughout preseason, they have now lost Alex Bangura, Riley McGree, and now Darragh Lenihan.
All six players were absent for Saturday’s final friendly against Deportivo, which resulted in a 2-2 tie thanks to Tommy Conway’s brace. Lenihan was the new absence for the game, with the centre-back suffering a setback following a promising summer. His wait for his first competitive game will continue, as the Irish centre-back has not played since September 2023 due to ankle and Achilles injuries.
Edwards provided an update: “Darragh experienced some muscle soreness on Tuesday. I believe it will take around three weeks, as it did for Alex [Bangura], which is upsetting for us and Darragh because he was doing so well.
“We looked at a number of things there; his loading was okay, and he felt comfortable heading into that day’s training session. He literally passed the ball and suffered some discomfort in the process. Fortunately, it is not serious; it is not a tendon or anything. But it’s muscular, which is frustrating.”
Boro were previously aware that Dieng would be away for the start of the season, and Bangura’s hamstring injury means he will also be unavailable for Swansea. There was less certainty on when Edmundson (out since the first day of preseason), Azaz (hurt shortly after Portugal), and McGree (limped off at Bradford) would return.
Edwards updated: “Riles, Finn, and George are all presumably in comparable positions right now. Next week may be pushing it at the present. They are all working hard to be available. I’d love it if they were, but I can’t make any promises right now. It may come too soon and wind up being the three players’ second league game. Especially George, who hasn’t had any preseason. “We’ll see on all of them.”
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