MIDDLESBROUGH’S Stewart Downing is lined up to undergo surgery on Friday in a bid to avoid spending the next six months on the sidelines.

Downing’s worst fears were realised yesterday when a scan revealed he fractured his right foot during the 1-1 draw with Aston Villa on Saturday.

The 24-year-old will see a specialist in the next 24 hours to determine the course of action, with surgery pencilled in at the back end of this week.

The outcome of that surgery will determine the length of time he will spend out.

While Downing is trying to remain hopeful he will only be ruled out for a month, a specialist has already warned him to expect the worst.

If the £15m-rated international is forced to embark on a six-month rehabilitation period, his expected summer move away from his hometown club would be in doubt.

Liverpool, Everton, Aston Villa and Tottenham are all monitoring his situation but Downing, who hoped to be a key player in keeping Middlesbrough in the Premier League at West Ham this Sunday, will have to be patient to see what the future holds.

He will also miss England’s World Cup qualifiers with Kazakhstan and Andorra early next month.

Despite leaving the Riverside Stadium on crutches on Saturday night, the winger had been under the impression he had not broken anything and had suffered ligament damage.

The product of Middlesbrough’s Academy had to be carried from the pitch on a stretcher on Saturday after a collision with Aston Villa’s Bulgarian midfielder Stilian Petrov.

And as well as the frustration being felt by Downing, a long-term spell out of action would also be bad news for Middlesbrough – particularly if they drop into the Championship this weekend.

If Boro fail to win at West Ham United on Sunday, their 11-season stay in the Premier League will be over and the summer sale of their prize asset would reduce the financial hit of relegation.

Throughout the season Downing has been seen as the most likely candidate to leave, along with Turkish international Tuncay Sanli and midfielder Gary O’Neil.

Tuncay, who attracted admiring glances from Chelsea in January, is also said to be the subject of interest from former club, Fenerbahce.

However, having been made aware of the claims, Tuncay has outlined a desire to stay in England.

“I don’t know when I will be back in Turkey – I want to continue my football life in England,”

Tuncay is quoted as saying. “But I still support Fenerbahce, I’m good friends with my old team-mates and I speak to them all the time.”

However unlikely staying up is, Middlesbrough’s squad are trying to remain optimistic the improbable can happen on Sunday and survival can be achieved.

Goalkeeper Brad Jones, whose saves ensured Villa did not put Boro down on Saturday, believes that a five-goal swing, a Middlesbrough win and defeats for Hull and Newcastle can happen.

“We’re not out of it yet,” he said. “We just have to go into the next week, try to be positive and really go for it and hope things go our way.

“It will be difficult but strange things can happen.’’