MIDDLESBROUGH are confident of extending Bruno Zuculini’s loan deal from Manchester City, but Aitor Karanka could lose the services of Jack Stephens with Southampton set to cut short the midfielder’s stay on Teesside.

Zuculini’s current loan agreement is due to expire before Boro take on Huddersfield Town at the weekend, but officials are confident City will agree to an extension that will enable the 22-year-old to remain in the North-East.

Karanka is hoping to complete the deal in the next couple of days, as Grant Leadbitter’s enforced absence at the weekend means Zuculini has been pencilled in for a place in the squad that will travel to the John Smith’s Stadium.

Leadbitter misses Saturday’s game after picking up his fifth booking of the season in Friday’s 1-0 win over QPR, and Zuculini is set to partner Adam Clayton at the heart of midfield provided City give him the green light to remain with Boro.

Initially signed to provide cover for the injured Adam Forshaw, Zuculini has forced his way up the pecking order since making his debut as a substitute in last month’s Capital One Cup win at Manchester United.

He started the Championship games against Charlton Athletic and Hull City, and also came off the bench in the 1-0 win over Rotherham United.

Athletic, aggressive and comfortable with the ball at his feet, Karanka clearly regards him as a better bet than Stephens, who has barely featured since signing on a season-long loan from Southampton at the start of the season.

Equally comfortable at either centre-half or in central midfield, Stephens’ only Championship action came from the substitutes’ bench during last month’s win over Charlton.

He has featured in all four of Boro’s League Cup games, catching the eye in a midfield role in the penalty shoot-out win at Old Trafford, but Southampton boss Ronald Koeman is understood to be frustrated at his general lack of action since moving to the Riverside.

Koeman has instructed Southampton officials to look at the possibility of cutting short Stephens’ loan deal in order to send him elsewhere in the second half of the season.

Karanka declined to comment on the situation in the wake of Friday’s win, but with Stephens’ first-team prospects likely to remain limited if, as expected, Zuculini remains, the Boro head coach could find it hard to keep hold of the 21-year-old, who is currently one of six loan players on Middlesbrough’s books.

Meanwhile, Under-19s boss Craig Liddle is hoping Harry Chapman continues to bolster his growing reputation in tonight’s UEFA Youth League second-leg tie with Torino, but is adamant his side is not a one-man band.

Chapman scored a sensational solo strike as Boro’s youth team claimed a 3-0 first-leg success over Torino at the Riverside, and there have been growing calls for Karanka to begin to promote the 18-year-old into his first-team group.

Liddle is confident the teenage striker has what it takes to enjoy a successful senior career, but has warned against expecting too much of him at such an early stage of his development.

“Everybody is talking about Harry after the goal he scored in the first leg, and rightly so,” said Liddle. “He is a talent, and it is up to him to keep progressing and keep his feet on the ground.

“If he does that, anything is achievable for him, but we have other players who can score goals. We have a lot of pace in the side and some real good quality midfield players who can pick passes out.”

Having come from behind to beat Stade de Reims in the last round, the tables will be turned tonight as Boro’s youngsters look to defend a first-leg lead in the face of a hostile Italian atmosphere.

“It will be a big crowd and it will be hostile without a shadow of a doubt,” said Liddle, who is a former manager of Darlington. “The most we played in front of at the same age was a few hundred in the FA Youth Cup.

“What a challenge it is for the boys in the development of their careers, in a situation they haven’t been in before. It’s a big test of their temperament and mental approach, but they are a pretty grounded bunch and we haven’t let them get carried away.”