Middlesbrough FC news: Ex-Barcelona and Boro man has managerial debut to forget plus Cardiff's injury boost

Former Barcelona goalkeeper and Champions League winner Victor Valdes spent one season at Middlesbrough during the 2016/17 campaign.

Valdes has dugout debut to forget – Former Middlesbrough goalkeeper Victor Valdes took charge of his first league game as Barcelona's Under-19s boss over the weekend – and it’s fair to say it was an eventful one.

Despite a 1-0 win over Girona's youth side, Valdes was sent off for using abusive language at the referee, with reports in Spain claiming he shouted "f**k you" at the man in charge.

Valdes later released a statement saying: “My decision is based solely on safeguarding the health of my young players since we are not satisfied with the organisation in terms of rest times between matches.

“Today, after being eliminated in the semi-finals, there has been no room for recovery, just one hour between games, to an unusual wear and tear for their age and for the pre-season stretch in which we find ourselves.”

“Without further ado, I would like to say that given the high risk of injury to my workforce, or something more serious at the cardiac level that could occur if I did not make this decision, I assume all the guilt and responsibility for what this may have generated."

Cardiff’s injury boost – Boro will make the trip to the Cardiff City Stadium on Saturday and could come up against returning Bluebirds goalkeeper Neil Etheridge.

The shot-stopper has been out with a hamstring tear since the opening day of the season but played 90 minutes for the club’s under-23 side in a 3-2 win over Sheffield Wednesday on Monday.

His replacement, Alex Smithies, has impressed in recent weeks though.

A Small Town In Europe…15 Years On – Finally, several famous Boro names gathered at a special sell-out event on Sunday evening to remember the club’s European past.

Ray Parlour, Franck Queudrue, Stewart Downing, James Morrison, Stuart Parnaby, Andrew Taylor, Tony McMahon and Andrew Davies were all part of the panel as Boro fan and ex-referee Jeff Winter hosted the event.

It marked 15 years to the weekend since Boro's debut in a major European competition back in 2004.