GEORGE FRIEND is not expected to be available for Middlesbrough’s crucial relegation battle at Swansea this weekend, and the full-back faces a battle to recover for the final few weeks of the season.

Friend has struggled with a combination of calf and knee problems in recent weeks, with his willingness to play through the pain barrier in an attempt to assist Boro’s survival bid having exacerbated his injury issues.

He missed a month-and-a-half at the end of last year, and was also sidelined for a six-week spell in January and February.

He returned to action in this month’s 2-0 defeat at Stoke, but has been unable to play since with his calf problem proving especially problematic.

He is not expected to be fit for Sunday’s trip to the Liberty Stadium, and is also set to sit out next week’s visit to the KCOM Stadium to take on Hull City.

It is hoped he will be available before the end of the campaign, although that is not guaranteed and will depend on the progress of his recuperation over the next couple of weeks.

Fabio da Silva has filled the left-back slot in his absence, and the former Manchester United defender will retain his place in the back four this weekend as Steve Agnew looks to engineer his first victory since replacing Aitor Karanka.

While Agnew has been concentrating on first-team affairs since his elevation to the head coach role, Boro’s long-term planning has seen the club offer a week-long trial to 19-year-old defender Ryan Pryce.

Pryce plays for Welsh champions TNS, who are managed by former Boro defender Craig Harrison, and while Sunderland and Stoke had both expressed an interest in securing his services, the Teessiders have made the first move by offering the teenage full-back a trial spell at their Rockliffe Park training ground.

“I think Pryce deserves it,” said Harrison, whose TNS side recently set a new world record of 27 successive victories in all competitions. “Middlesbrough decided he was more than good enough to go on trial for a week. After the trial, they will take it from there.

“It will be a positive experience for Pryce. Either he will get a contract and everybody will wish him well, or he will get a marker and will know where he needs to be.”