MIDDLESBROUGH boss Steve McClaren faces an agonising decision over whether to risk Juninho in Saturday's home game against Everton and the derby visit of Newcastle United next Wednesday.

The Brazilian scored on his comeback from injury in front of a crowd of more than 19,000 at the Riverside Stadium as a Boro Reserves side containing six full internationals enjoyed a 9-0 romp against Bradford City on Tuesday night.

Juninho, sidelined for over six months after undergoing knee surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament, played for 70 minutes and afterwards declared himself fit to face Everton.

However, Boro are reluctant to rush the 30-year-old midfielder back until they are satisfied that he has fully regained fitness, and the best he can realistically hope for is a place on the substitutes' bench. Indeed, Juninho is more likely to start the reserve-team derby away to Sunderland a week on Monday than he is the rearranged Premiership showdown with Newcastle, which was called off in controversial circumstances almost a month ago.

Boro have a blank weekend on March 8-9 because of their elimination from the FA Cup, and McClaren could even attempt to arrange a behind-closed-doors game to help hone Juninho's match fitness.

But the ovation he received from the fans in the second-string run-out has whetted his appetite for another tilt at honours, nearly six years after he ended up on the losing side when Boro were beaten in both the Coca-Cola and FA Cup finals.

The Samba star, who rejoined the Teessiders from Atletico Madrid last summer in a £3.8m deal, admitted: "My relationship with the fans has been wonderful ever since I first came here.

"That's why I made the decision to come back and why I have the ambition to win something for Middlesbrough to remember for the rest of my life.''

Centre-back Ugo Ehiogu also returned to action on Tuesday, close to two months after he punctured a lung and fractured two ribs in the New Year's Day defeat at Blackburn.

As in the case of Juninho, Boro are exercising caution with Ehiogu.

The England international played the whole of the reserve game, but confessed: "It wasn't really a test for me; I was hoping for a sterner one.

"It was just nice to be playing again. People may say it was quite easy, but it's not that easy when you have had such a painful injury and been out for so long.''

Ehiogu was delighted to see Juninho playing again, adding: "He was running at people with the ball seemingly stuck to his foot.''

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