Austria to assess Pogatetz injury

Last updated : 01 March 2010 By BBC Sport

Middlesbrough defender Emanuel Pogatetz will join the Austria squad to assess his fitness after coming off injured in Saturday's 2-0 win against QPR.Pogatetz, 27, was handed his first call-up in 10 months when coach Dietmar Constantini selected him for Wednesday's squad to face Denmark.

"He didn't tell us there was a problem until he came off," Boro boss Gordon Strachan told the club website.

"I knew there was something wrong; I could see he was struggling."

The former Bayer Leverkusen defender, who has 25 caps, has had a difficult relationship with the national team, having been banned from the squad after he criticised coach Josef Hickersberger and captain Andreas Ivanschitz, but has also captained the side in the absence of Ivanschitz.

However, it has been injuries, to the knee and cheekbone, that have largely kept Pogatetz out of contention for the national team since Constantini's appointment in March 2009.

His last cap came in a 2-1 win against Romania in Klagenfurt back in April 2009.

Meanwhile Australia striker Scott McDonald has had injections to help clear up a hernia.

The 26-year-old forward has suffered problems following an operation in January, and missed Saturday's victory to visit a specialist.

McDonald joined the Teessiders from Celtic for £3.5m in January.

Source: BBC Sport

Source: BBC Sport