TEN YEARS in English football has taken its toll on Middlesbrough midfielder Julio Arca who revealed he needs a regular pain-killing injection to continue his career in professional football.

The Argentine midfielder is one of at least three members of Gordon Strachan’s side who’ve been playing while carrying painful injuries.

Gary O’Neil has a niggling groin problem while Scott Mc- Donald’s failure to recover from a hernia operation is expected to sideline him for today’s visit of QPR.

Arca has endured a problem with his left big toe for around four years with the Boro medical team believing it could be a form of arthritis. After having a cortisone injection two weeks ago the 29-year old is ready to add his battling qualities to Boro’s promotion bid.

“The injection helped to take some of the pain away.

I’ve been training normally for the last week and a half or so and I’m feeling good,” he said.

“I’ve had this problem for three or four years now. It sounds silly when you say it’s a toe injury, but it’s the left big toe and the one I kick with so it bothers me sometimes.

“The physios say is that it could be some kind of arthritis.

It’s not a bad one, but once in a while I have to have a cortisone injection to make it better.

“The specialist says you’re only supposed to have one injection like that a year, so sometimes I have to carry on and wait for the next one, but it hurts.

“Even an operation isn’t going to make any difference, I’ll just carry on for as long as I can. At the moment, it’s fine, it’s not swollen. I’ve been training with a bit of pain and I’m obviously not 100 per cent free to do everything.

“It sometimes needs a couple of days rest and the manager has been good with that, giving me one day or two days working in the gym and then letting me come out and train again.

“It’s been better recently, although it doesn’t help when it’s really cold outside, so I’m waiting for the summer. So basically for 11 and a half months it is sore!”

Arca admitted Middlesbrough’s training sessions have a greater intensity since Strachan was appointed as manager but he’s welcomed the Scot’s demanding regime.

He said: “We got used to Gareth (Southgate), especially me, after spending nearly three and a half years with him, and to work with Gordon now is different, but we’re still enjoying it.

“It’s good to go out there and try and show as much as we can, but training is more intense.”