MIDDLESBROUGH striker Joseph-Desire Job is out of Sunday's clash with Chelsea at the Riverside after twisting a knee in training.

The Cameroon star must visit a specialist to learn the full extent of the damage.

Job, 25, has been pivotal in Boro's recent revival, scoring the only goal in the home win over Everton and forging a promising partnership with Malcolm Christie. News of Job's injury follows confirmation from Boro that they will be without Bolo Zenden this weekend.

As revealed in Northern Echo Sport on Tuesday, Chelsea have refused to allow the on-loan Dutchman to face his own club.

Winger Zenden, signed by Boro on a season-long deal, is a victim of the Blues' club policy, which forbids players who have gone on loan from playing against them.

Boro boss Steve McClaren now faces a major rethink over team selection and out-of-favour Brazilian star Juninho could be set for a recall.

The Teessiders had been buoyed by a three-match winning run, and Christie last night revealed how a crunch players' meeting had helped to revitalise the club's season. McClaren's men had picked up only one point from their first five Premiership outings before the manager called his squad together for clear-the-air talks ahead of Everton's visit 11 days ago.

And a no-holds-barred exchange of views had the desired effect as Boro rattled off successive 1-0 victories. Christie has played a crucial role in Boro's resurgence, scoring at home to Brighton in the Carling Cup and at Southampton last Saturday.

The 24-year-old former Derby County forward, who joined Boro in January in a combined £3m deal with defender Chris Riggott, said: "I'd like to think we've turned the corner. The confidence is back and the fans are on our side again.

"There was a little bit of discontent with some of the early performances, and rightly so when we were getting beaten.

"Those three wins were massive for us. All the players had a meeting before last week and we knew we had three games in seven days to try to turn it round.''

Christie, back to full fitness after a close-season hernia operation, took particular pleasure in scoring against Southampton.

When he was still a shelf-stacker playing part-time with Nuneaton Borough, Saints boss Gordon Strachan - then in charge at nearby Coventry City - spurned the chance to sign him.

Christie said: "It was nice to get the winner at Southampton, because Gordon Strachan was only a few miles down the road when I was at Nuneaton, and maybe he should have taken a gamble on me.

"I feel I can only get better playing here. I wasn't fully fit at the start of the season, but I've worked really hard to get myself back in 100 per cent shape.

"All I can do is keep scoring and hopefully stay injury-free. If I'm not performing, there are other players who can come in and do just as good a job.

"We've got a number of decent strikers and I have to stay on my toes and keep performing. The way I see it, if I'm scoring there's no way the manager can leave me out.''

There was better news for Boro yesterday when Spanish midfielder Gaizka Mendieta returned to training after a calf injury which forced him to miss the last three games.

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