Middlesbrough facing fresh double blow ahead of Oxford United clash | OneFootball

Boro look set to be without star midfield pairing Hayden Hackney and Aidan Morris for their upcoming trip to the Kassam Stadium.

Middlesbrough travel to the Kassam Stadium to take on Oxford United when the Championship resumes next weekend, but Michael Carrick looks set to be without his star midfield duo of Hayden Hackney and Aidan Morris after they suffered injuries on international duty.

Boro's central midfield pair have both picked up setbacks whilst away with England and the USA respectively, as the Teessiders now face an anxious wait to find out the extent of their injuries.

As a result, both Hackney and Morris appear to be major doubts for Middlesbrough's upcoming clash with Oxford United on Saturday, as Carrick's side may have to navigate a testing festive period without two of their key players.

Hayden Hackney and Aidan Morris doubtful for Middlesbrough action on Saturday

Whilst everyone connected with Middlesbrough sweats on the fitness of their midfield maestros, a report from The Northern Echo on Sunday has revealed all that we know at this stage.

It states that Hackney is now being assessed by Boro's medical staff at the club's Rockliffe Park headquarters, after leaving the England Under-21 camp to return for treatment on Teesside.

The 22-year-old departed from Ben Futcher's England squad before their 0-0 draw with Spain on Friday evening, ruling him out of their upcoming clash with the Netherlands on Monday night.

Currently, the details of Hackney's injury are not yet known, but for it to warrant him being sent back to his club, that would suggest it's perhaps something more than a slight knock.

As for Morris, the 23-year-old suffered what has been described as a "knee sprain" during a training session. As a result, he didn't feature in the United States' 1-0 win over Jamaica on Thursday night.

He had been initially been treated in the USA in the immediate aftermath of picking up the injury, but will now return to Teesside to be further assessed by Middlesbrough over the next week.

Losing Hackney and Morris for an extended period would be a massive blow for Middlesbrough

Whilst Carrick has shuffled his team selections around in other areas of the pitch so far this season, one position group has remained practically untouched; central midfield.

Morris has appeared in every one of Boro's opening 15 Championship games, whilst Hackney has missed just one through suspension.

As a result, the pair have formed one of the division's best central midfield partnerships so far this term, with their playing styles complimenting each other to great success.

Morris tends to be the one to drop into defense to receive the ball and get Middlesbrough moving, whilst Hackney is more often seen driving through the centre of the pitch before looking to play teammates in, or have a crack at goal himself.

Both players are calm and confident in possession, with Morris' 93.8 per cent pass accuracy being one of the best among Championship central midfielders, whilst Hackney's 29 shots, 11 shots on target, 52 accurate long balls, 18 successful dribbles and 94 recoveries are the highest among his positional peers in the second tier this season - per FotMob.

Michael Carrick does have experienced midfield options to fall back on

Evidently then, should Middlesbrough be without their excellent midfield duo for a significant amount of time, it will be a huge loss for Boro.

However, Carrick does have two experienced central midfielders he can turn to, both of which he will have total confidence in to be able to plug the gap and prevent a complete failure in Middlesbrough's engine room.

36-year-old club captain Jonny Howson is as experienced a player as Carrick could hope to call upon, with the evergreen midfielder being one of the Championship's best for many years, and one of Boro's greatest servants in recent times.

Dan Barlaser is the Middlesbrough head coaches' other option, who the club may now be very thankful that no summer transfer away from the Riverside materialised in the summer.

The 27-year-old had been pushed towards the fringes of the squad after Morris' arrival, after making 41 appearances in all competitions for Middlesbrough last season.

However, after coming off the bench to score his first ever Boro goal vs QPR on 5 November, the ex-Rotherham United man will have reminded Carrick - not that he probably needed to be - and Middlesbrough supporters of what he can still offer in a red and white shirt.

Carrick will be crossing his fingers that both Hackney and Morris' injuries don't bring about an extended period on the sidelines, but if they do, he will have complete confidence in Howson and Barlaser to hold the fort until they return.