Baptiste breaks leg on Boro bow

Middlesbrough are set to be without Alex Baptiste for much of the coming campaign after he suffered a broken leg in a pre-season friendly with York City.

Baptiste is a new signing at the Riverside, but was carried off on a stretcher midway through the first half at Bootham Crescent, in a game last season’s beaten Championship play-off finalists won 1-0.

“I don’t like to speak about football after that,” Boro boss Aitor Karanka said. “I lost the game after what happened to Alex.

“I don’t know exactly what has happened, but it looks like a serious injury, and he could be out for a long time. I think it is a complete break but we need to wait and see.

“It’s the worst way to start pre-season.”