MIDDLESBROUGH have confirmed that Tommy Smith suffered an ankle injury in this afternoon’s pre-season defeat to Real Betis.
Smith went down in obvious pain towards the end of the first half after appearing to injure himself as he stretched to try to prevent a Real Betis forward breaking clear.
It was immediately apparent that he had suffered a serious problem, with Boro’s players signalling for the club’s medical staff to come onto the field.
READ MORE:
- Middlesbrough 0 Real Betis 1: Tommy Smith's injury overshadows friendly defeat
- Recap and highlights from Middlesbrough's pre-season defeat at Chesterfield
A brief examination resulted in a stretcher coming onto the field, and Smith was carried off with his head in his hands.
The full-back has injured his ankle, with the full extent of the problem due to be ascertained over the course of the next 24 hours.
The fear is that the problem is a long-term one as if Smith has suffered ligament damage, he will be sidelined for a lengthy spell.
The diagnosis could force Boro into a rethink of their transfer priorities for the remainder of the summer as Smith was the first-choice right-back throughout the second half of last season.
Rav van den Berg replaced him in this afternoon’s game, but the Dutchman, who was a summer signing from PEC Zwolle, is more of a centre-half than a full-back.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here