Middlesbrough manager Jonathan Woodgate could be without three players when the Teessiders host West Brom at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday.

At his pre-match press conference yesterday, the Boro boss confirmed that captain George Friend is still missing from the squad, as he recovers from surgery on a ruptured tendon. He is said to be three to four weeks away from returning to training.

Woodgate also revealed that Rudy Gestede had indeed suffered an injury setback which they are looking into. The Benin international has picked up another hamstring problem but no timeframe has been given for when he will return to action.

One piece of good news is that Hayden Coulsen is on the comeback trail. The left-back will feature for the Under 23s when they play Reading tomorrow night. The fullback picked up a thigh injury two months ago and has not featured for the first team since the 1-0 defeat to Brentford.