Agony: Downing lasted just 23 minutes before he was carried
off on Saturday
Liverpool's hopes
of landing Stewart Downing could be scuppered as the Middlesbrough winger faces up to six
months out injured.
The England international is set to undergo surgery on his foot
on Friday and he has been warned he could be out until Christmas,
putting his £10million summer move to Anfield in serious doubt.
The 24-year-old will have a second scan after the first one
revealed that Downing fractured his foot when he was caught by
Stiliyan Petrov in Saturday's 1-1 draw with
Aston Villa and he will miss Boro's final day relegation
scrap at
West Ham.
'We will not be able to assess the full extent of Stewart's
injury until his bruising and swelling go down,' said Boro's head
of medical Grant Downie.
'We are still waiting for further tests and investigations to
find out the best way to manage the problem. Stewart has already
seen a leading orthopaedic expert in London and is in the best
possible hands.'
The 24-year-old's operation is pencilled in for the end of the
week, but he could be out until Christmas if the surgery and
forthcoming rehabilitation prove complicated. Even a routine break
will require at least three months recovery time.
Downing is now out of England's World Cup qualifiers with
Kazakhstan and Andorra next month, but more importantly for
Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate, he misses Sunday's trip to
Upton Park where Boro need a minor miracle to survive the drop.
The weekend clash was expected to be his last game for his
hometown club and Southgate, who persuaded Downing to turn down a
move to
Tottenham in January.
Liverpool,
Everton, Aston Villa and Spurs have been all monitoring
Downing's form since the turn of the year, but any exit from the
Riverside will be put on hold if he faces a lengthy
lay-off.
Bone crucher: Boro's Stewart Downing (right)
clashes with Villa midfielder Stilian Petrov
