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Leeds United's Championship rivals and upcoming opponents Middlesbrough are in the midst of an 'extreme' injury crisis, according to head coach Michael Carrick.
The former Manchester United midfielder could not foresee the bad luck Boro have suffered with injuries in recent weeks when a decision was taken to sell central defender Matt Clarke to Derby County in January.
The North East club are without a single fit centre-back at present due to a number of injuries, leaving Carrick's back-line decimated.
Ex-Leeds man Jonny Howson is expected to deputise at the heart of defence for the foreseeable after Rav van den Berg (knee), George Edmundson (ankle) and Dael Fry (calf) were all ruled out in recent weeks.
Howson is likely to be paired up alongside left-back Neto Borges as a makeshift centre-half duo, despite the veteran midfielder not having started a game since December.
Carrick is unable to turn to Luke Ayling as emergency centre-back cover, either, as the experienced full-back is currently sidelined with an ankle problem which could keep him out for Leeds' visit to the Riverside Stadium next month.
Anfernee Dijksteel will also be required to continue at right-back, despite his centre-back suitability, because U21s defender Josh Dede has picked up a toe injury, limiting Carrick's options on that side of defence.
"We’ve got three fantastic centre-backs. We’ve got Luke Ayling who’s played centre-back, and we’ve got Jonny Howson who can play centre-back. How many players can you have in your squad. To have your three centre-backs injured, it’s very difficult to cover everything in that regard.
"It’s a pretty extreme situation. We’ve just got to move on and make the most of what we’ve got," the head coach said, discussing Boro's walking wounded.
Leeds visit Teesside on April 8 in what would ordinarily have been one of the Whites' toughest fixtures during the remainder of the season. Boro's injury crisis, however, could provide Leeds with more of a straightforward task at the Riverside Stadium in four weeks' time.
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