Middlesbrough team news: Riley McGree update, Dieng, Hackney and McNair return, Alex Bangura | OneFootball

After a very shaky start to the season, Middlesbrough have started to turn their season around.

Up until just over a month ago, Boro were a winless side in the 2023/24 Championship campaign. After an extremely promising first season for Michael Carrick, the wheels looked like they were falling off after the loss of Chuba Akpom and Cameron Archer.

But, since that first win against Southampton, on 23rd September, they've looked back to the level that most though they'd be at. Boro have taken maximum points from their last four games. They beat Watford, Cardiff City, and Sunderland in their last three, and scored nine goals in those matches.

Carrick's side will be looking to extend this good form with another win against Birmingham City, on Saturday. Some injury concerns haven't sorted themselves out over the international squad, so they'll have to come through some adversity to continue their perfect October run.

Riley McGree injury update

The Australian midfielder is the club's top scorer, so far this season. Although he's only scored three times which very much reflects the clubs poor start to the campaign.

McGree wasn't involved in the 4-0 win over Sunderland due to a foot injury that he picked up against Cardiff. He was forced to withdraw from the Aussie international squad for the most recent international break because of the issue, but, despite the extra two weeks of rest, things haven't gone as hoped.

The Middlesbrough manager revealed that the club's top scorer is a major doubt to play against his former team this weekend.

"If I’m being honest, this Saturday’s game is probably going to come too soon for him, but we’ll just have to see when he’s ready to come back and play," said Carrick.

Return of the internationals for Middlesbrough

Although the 24-year-old top-scorer was forced to miss out on international duty to his foot injury, other Boro players were away with their countries.

Seny Dieng, Paddy McNair, and Hayden Hackney have all returned to Teesside without picking up any major knocks.

The Boro boss said: "Everyone seems to have come back okay. We’re still kind of rounding them up a little bit in terms of the training schedule and who’s up to full speed, but there doesn’t seem to be any major issues."

Rav van den Berg, who represented Netherlands' under-21 side in the previous international break, is also in contention to be in the squad that faces the Blues on Saturday.

"Rav’s trained, or at least been around the group. Whether the game comes too quickly for him or not, we’ll have to see, but he’s on his way back," said Carrick.

Bangura was impressive in the 68 minutes that he managed for the club, in his debut, before he pulled his hamstring. That injury forced him to miss a month of football.

The Sierra Leone international made two late substitute appearances before the international break. Despite him not spending the fortnight away the African nation, Carrick said there hasn't been much progression in his fitness.

"I wouldn’t necessarily say Alex has got himself closer to anything – he’s in the same spot as he was in before," said the 42-year-old.

"He’s trained well. He had a setback with his injury after the Blackburn game, which was unfortunate, but it’s part and parcel of football."