NETO BORGES will undergo a series of medical checks in the next 48 hours after he was withdrawn during last night’s 4-1 win at QPR because of feeling unwell.
Borges had been complaining of an illness at the end of last week, but was passed fit to participate in Saturday’s home defeat to Coventry City.
The full-back was still not feeling 100 per cent when he travelled to London ahead of last night’s game though, and while he completed the first half at Loftus Road, he admitted he felt uncomfortable at the half-time break.
When things did not improve at the start of the second half, he was withdrawn in the 50th minute and replaced by Anfernee Dijskteel.
He was being closely monitored as the Boro squad travelled back to the North-East in the wake of their victory in west London, and will undergo a series of medical tests to try to get to the bottom of his ongoing illness issue.
Boro head coach Michael Carrick said: “It’s more illness with Neto than anything else. He wasn’t too good over the weekend to be honest, but he played on Saturday even though he wasn’t too well.
“He came off at half-time (last night) saying that he didn’t feel too good either. So, we took him off and we’ll have to look after him and do some checks now.
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“We’ll have to see where that lies, but at the moment he’s not too good. We’ll get him home, and then assess him over the next couple of days.”
It remains to be seen whether Borges is able to recover fully in time for Saturday’s home game with Luton Town.
If he is absent at the weekend, Carrick will have to play either Luke Ayling (who switched flanks last night) or Dijksteel at full-back, or hand a first league start to youngster George McCormick, who was on the bench at the weekend.
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