CRISTHIAN STUANI will not be risked by Middlesbrough for this weekend’s trip to Hull City.

Stuani has not featured for the Teessiders since the 3-0 win over Leeds United in September after picking up a hamstring injury while on international duty with Uruguay.

The attacker was expected to return to the first team for the trip to the KC Stadium on Saturday, but Karanka revealed in his Thursday press conference that Stuani is not fully recovered from the injury and will not play against the Tigers.

“I expected to include Stuani in the squad but he had a scan on Monday and he is not 100% recovered,” said Karanka.

“So, in the same way with (David) Nugent one month ago, I don't want to take any risks because we have two weeks to work with him after Hull. Cristhian is an important player for us and if he is out one month, two more days is not a problem for me.

“He is not training with the team and we were expecting him to be training with us today but he had a scan on Monday and we were speaking with the doctor and I was speaking with the player and it's better to do the same thing we did with Nugent at Reading.

“I don't want to take a risk, especially with important players. We have lost Cristhian for six games and I don't want to lose him for more time.”

Stuani has been included in Oscar Tabarez' squad for the 2018 World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Chile, but Karanka does not expect the midfielder to travel to South America in light of his injury.

“At the moment we don't know anything but it will be a surprise if a player who is not training with the team is in the national team,” said Karanka.

“Our doctor is in touch with their doctor and we send them every single scan so they know everything, they know how the player is doing his rehabilitation, they know about the scan on Monday.

“They know everything because our club sends them everything and our doctor is in touch with their doctor.”

Karanka revealed that the 29-year-old is desperate to make his Boro return, but the head coach has advised him to be patient to avoid risking an aggravation to an injury that has caused him to miss a month of football.

“He is not positive because he wants to play on Saturday,” said Karanka. “He wants to play on Saturday and he is the kind of player I like because he is desperate to play. But it is my decision and I explained to him I want to do the same as I did with David Nugent at Reading.

“He was on the bench and we were losing but I didn't want to take a risk with David because he is an important player for us and we don't have a lot of players so for that reason. I can understand him and I like his attitude but he understands me because we have to think always about the team first.”

Karanka gave an update on Boro’s other injured players, with Alex Baptiste continuing his recovery from a double leg break and Rhys Williams on his way back from a ruptured Achilles tendon, while Damia Abella is still sidelined with a cruciate injury.

Karanka said: “Alex, hopefully December, January. He's really good because his attitude from the first second has been amazing bit I must keep calm and not rush him.

“Rhys is better, I think he will train with the team soon, as will Damia. When I say soon I mean three to four weeks.

“I am really pleased with all of them because with those kind of injuries their heads are sometimes bad but all of them now can see the light at the end of the tunnel, as we say in Spain.

“So I am pleased for them.”