Middlesbrough midfielder Kevin Thomson will this week undergo further tests amid fears he could have aggravated the fracture which wrecked last season for him.
The 26-year-old Scotland international damaged an ankle when stepping off a treadmill last week and checks carried out over the weekend have suggested there could be lasting damage.
Manager Tony Mowbray told the club's official website: "As expected it's an ankle injury which has impacted a little bit on the fracture site from his injury last season."
Thomson, a £2million signing from Rangers, missed much of the last campaign after suffering fractured fibula in just the second game of the season.But he had hoped his injury misery was behind him after starting the final six games.