Rokas Pukstas will have to wait for his first Middlesbrough start.
Middlesbrough manager Kim Hellberg told Monday’s pre-match press conference that Pukstas is expected to miss the rest of October with a recent injury. The American midfielder moved to England from Croatian club Hajduk Split last summer but struggled to find consistent game time right away.
Pukstas has not appeared since September 8, marking the second of back-to-back substitute cameos. The 22-year-old played six minutes in the league game against QPR and before that he played six minutes again in the 3-0 loss to Crystal Palace in the EFL Cup.
Hellberg didn’t give an exact date for Pukstas’ return to action, but he doesn’t project him to be available for at least the next few weeks.
“I think it will be a while, I don’t believe he will play this month,” Hellberg said ahead of Middlesbrough’s Championship trip to Stoke City on Tuesday.
Pukstas had a positive start to the season with four goals and one assist in 10 games with Hajduk Split before joining Middlesbrough. The Oklahoma native scored 28 goals in 142 games in Croatia, helping Hajduk Split qualify for Europe for the first time in 16 years this summer.
Middlesbrough are second after Saturday’s 1-0 win over Wolves and will visit the fourth-placed Potters as league play resumes. The Teesside club will then face Cardiff City (October 17), Bolton Wanderers (October 23) and Charlton Athletic (October 31) to round off their October schedule.