Hayden Hackney return timeframe and Riley McGree update - Boro injury latest

However, the Middlesbrough boss admitted that star man Hayden Hackney may not be back until the trip to Wrexham on the final day of the season, with his absence certainly felt of late.

McGree was added to a list of key players on the Boro injury list when he was absent from the team sheet for Sunday’s 2-2 draw at Ipswich Town. The Australian picked up an injury in training on Saturday, ahead of Boro’s trip to Suffolk.

But offering a positive outlook after the game, Hellberg said: “It’s a small knock with Riley, but he couldn’t play this game. It’s one of those things that can happen on the training pitch, a small knock. I hope he will be back on Wednesday, that is my hope. If not, it should hopefully be Saturday, it should not be a big thing.”

While McGree missed out, Boro were boosted by the return of Morgan Whittaker. Boro’s top scorer came on in the closing stages and can now start to rebuild his fitness for what looks highly likely now to be a play-off campaign.

But there was still no Hackney at Portman Road, while Leo Castledine made the trip but did not make the match-day squad on the day.

Explaining that and offering a timeframe on Hackney’s return, Hellberg said: “Leo travelled with us. He did his first training session [on Saturday], so it’s now about trying to get him back to the group and involved again. We will see if he is ready on Wednesday or Saturday, but it is getting closer for him.

“Hayden is more difficult because it’s really just a case of waiting with him. When it’s done, he can go back out onto the grass and we can go. It’s very difficult to get an exact timeframe for it. We will see. Maybe it’s the Wrexham game, but it’s difficult to know because he hasn’t been able to go out onto the grass yet.”

Boro are next in action on Wednesday evening when they host Sheffield Wednesday at the Riverside. Though Sunday’s draw at Ipswich doesn’t mathematically end Boro’s top-two aspirations, they’re three points behind Millwall and Ipswich, the latter who have a game in hand and a superior goal difference, making automatic promotion unlikely now, and the play-offs Boro’s best hope for saving their season and still winning promotion.

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