Middlesbrough provide Sontje Hansen update after Wrexham omission

Sontje Hansen absence explained as Middlesbrough weigh forward’s future

Sontje Hansen was left out of Middlesbrough’s Carabao Cup squad against Wrexham because the club wanted him to build up his fitness with the Under-21s.

The 24-year-old was a surprise absentee as Boro secured a 1-0 victory over Wrexham on Friday night, with Will Lankshear scoring the decisive goal to book Middlesbrough’s place in the second round.

However, head coach Kim Hellberg confirmed after the match that Hansen was not carrying an injury. Instead, the forward was sent to play for Mark Tinkler’s Under-21 side against Sheffield United earlier that day.

Hellberg explained that the decision was made to give Hansen valuable minutes after his delayed return to pre-season following his involvement with Curacao at this summer’s World Cup.

“Sontje was not here. It was no injury,” Hellberg said. “He played a game for the U21s because we looked at his fitness. We wanted to get as much as possible out of this weekend.”

The Middlesbrough boss added that Hansen should be ready to return to first-team action next week.

Hansen’s situation is nevertheless worth monitoring, with his long-term future at the Riverside still uncertain.

The forward endured a difficult first season at Middlesbrough and admitted towards the end of the previous campaign that he had not featured as often as he would have liked. Despite that, he made it clear that he was determined to return for pre-season and fight for his place.

Boro have since strengthened their attacking options, while the club are also looking to reduce the size of their squad. As a result, Hansen is understood to be among the players who could depart if the right offer arrives.

His absence against Wrexham, though, was not viewed as an indication that a transfer was imminent.

Hellberg insisted Hansen remains part of his plans for now and will have opportunities to impress if he can demonstrate that he deserves them.

“He’s here and he’s training,” the Boro boss said when asked about Hansen’s future. “He came back late because of the World Cup, which means that he is a little bit behind with his fitness.

“That’s why together we made that decision to try to play almost 90 minutes in the U21s, instead of maybe playing five here.”

For now, Hansen remains a Middlesbrough player and is expected to continue working on his fitness before pushing for a return to Hellberg’s first-team plans.