BORO BACK BATES
MIDDLESBROUGH insist they will stand by crocked skipper Matthew Bates.
The Boro captain is set to be out for at least six months after undergoing surgery on a serious knee ligament injury for the FIFTH time in six years.
The 25-year-old is out of contract in the summer, which means his rehabilitation will go on beyond the end of his
current £15,000-a-week deal. Bates faces an uncertain future after his injury jinx struck again when he fell awkwardly in last month’s Championship clash with Ipswich.
But he will receive 100 per cent backing from Boro.
Boss Tony Mowbray said: “The football club will be there to supply Matthew with all the facilities, medical support and encouragement that he is going to need.
“Beyond that, when he’s fit, we have decisions to make.
“It’s obviously a bad injury, but Matthew has been over the course before, he knows what he has to do and he knows what’s required.
“We wish him well in the battle to get himself fit again. The club will support him in every way that we can.”