STEVE McClaren is battling against a striker crisis as he looks to guide Middlesbrough back into Europe, after Mark Viduka was ruled out for the rest of the season.

Viduka, who has already spent three months on the sidelines with a hamstring problem, lasted just 11 minutes before he was forced to hobble out of Saturday's 1-0 win over Crystal Palace.

A scan has shown a recurrence of the injury and, after starting just 18 games since his £4.5m move from Leeds, McClaren has admitted that the Australian international will not feature in the remainder of the campaign.

"Mark has suffered a recurrence of his hamstring problem," said McClaren, who recruited Viduka last summer in an attempt to address Boro's long-standing lack of goals.

"It is hugely disappointing for Mark and the club, but he will not play again this season.

"We felt he was ready to play on Saturday, but it was not to be. Everyone is frustrated, including Mark, because it has taken longer than any of us would have wanted.

"What we are now focusing on is ensuring he gets all the correct treatment so that he is ready for the start of next season.

"He is a quality striker, a point he has proven when he has been available for us this season. He has a major role to play for us next season.

"In the meantime, we have plenty to aim for during the final seven games of this season. Saturday's win at Palace has given everyone a boost so we go into three successive home games in good heart."

Viduka has scored just seven goals this term, and only two of them have come since the UEFA Cup clash with Banik Ostrava on September 16.

But, while the 29-year-old has hardly been prolific, his presence offered a physical threat that Boro have been unable to reproduce in his absence.

Joseph-Desire Job and Szilard Nemeth have both struggled to make an impact, while youngster Danny Graham lacks the experience to lead the line at the highest level.

Viduka's injury problems have heaped immense pressure upon Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and, while the Dutch international has responded with 14 goals, he will find himself under even greater strain in the next three weeks.

As well as being without Viduka, McClaren will also have to manage without Job and midfielder Bolo Zenden as his side look to muscle their way back into the Premiership top six.

Job underwent surgery on Monday after doctors found a floating bone in his knee and is likely to be out of action for the next three weeks.

Zenden faces a similar spell on the sidelines after he sustained ankle ligament damage during Saturday's win at Selhurst Park.

With Malcolm Christie back on the long-term injury list after suffering a stress fracture in his foot, McClaren has been left with just two senior strikers - Hasselbaink and Nemeth - ahead of this weekend's crunch clash with Arsenal.

* Gareth Southgate has spoken of his admiration for former team-mate Juninho after the Middlesbrough legend's career in Britain came to an end yesterday when he was released by Scottish side Celtic.

The World Cup winner is expected to return to his homeland and sign for Palmeiras later this week, and Southgate has insisted that Boro fans will never forget the impact he made on Teesside.

"I've never seen adulation like it," said the Boro skipper. "I remember when Juninho signed, there were hordes of people outside the stadium waiting to catch a glimpse of him.

"He's been a great player. He's won the World Cup with Brazil and, to do that, you have to be a special player.

"Whenever I think of Juninho, I'll think of the final whistle at Cardiff. I bumped into Juninho on the pitch and he just kept saying, 'Thank you, thank you'.

"But he played as big a part as anybody that day and his goal at Highbury in the semi-final was a massive part of us getting there."

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