The four Middlesbrough players who have been sidelined through injury and when they could return

Boro boss Neil Warnock will hope to have players fit and available again as the Teessiders try to stay in contention for a play-off place.

We take a closer look at when those who have been sidelined could return:

Marcus Browne

The 23-year-old had impressed Warnock in training before pulling his hamstring ahead of November’s league game against Norwich.

Browne has completed his rehab and returned to training with the first-team squad on Monday so should be available over the next few weeks.

Jonny Howson

The severity of the midfielder’s hamstring injury hasn’t been completely disclosed.

Howson suffered the setback during Boro’s defeat at Preston earlier this month and Warnock has said the 32-year-old will be out for another few weeks.

As we’ve seen with hamstrings, the timing can vary. Anfernee Dijksteel missed just a handful of games with a similar issue, while Ashley Fletcher has been sidelined for most of the campaign after limping off against Bournemouth in September.

Ashley Fletcher

That brings us onto Fletcher, who still appears on track to return at the end of January.

When asked about the striker last week, Warnock said: “I think he’ll be at the end of January, anything before that will be a bit of a bonus.”

Grant Hall

The former QPR captain has endured a rotten start to his Boro career.

After injuring his calf in September, Hall was then ruled out with a thigh injury in November and looks set to miss the next few months.

A message from the Football Clubs Editor

Our aim is to provide you with the best, most up-to-date and most informative Middlesbrough coverage 365 days a year.

This depth of coverage costs, so to help us maintain the high-quality reporting that you are used to, please consider taking out a subscription to our new sports-only package here.

Your support is much appreciated. Richard Mennear, Football Clubs Editor