Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate insists Mido can make a late season return from a hernia op.

"We've really been playing catch up with him the whole time," Southgate told Boro's website. "When he came he hadn't had a full pre-season and we threw him in earlier than we would have liked.

"After Christmas when he was well short of full fitness we had to ask him to go in again.

"But needs must and we needed him to play in certain games to get us through them.

"Now we've got to say it's unlikely he'll play again this season although we wouldn't rule that out.

"But we have to get him in the right physical condition so that when he comes back he has the effect we know he's capable of."