MASSIMO MACCARONE will miss the first two months of Middlesbrough's Premiership campaign, writes PAUL FRASER.

The Italian striker suffered ankle damage in the pre-season friendly win at Hull City and has been in his homeland for further tests.

And Boro revealed yesterday that Maccarone, who became Boro's record buy when he moved from Empoli in a £8.15m deal last summer, will be out for between eight and ten weeks.

Maccarone, who has just undergone an operation on the troubled ankle, joins Ugo Ehiogu (knee), David Murphy (foot), Michael Ricketts (Achilles) and Franck Queudrue (suspended) on the absent list at Fulham this afternoon.

And manager Steve McClaren said: "It would have been a lot easier had we started the season with Maccarone, Ehiogu, Murphy, Queudrue and had George Boateng fully fit, but we haven't.

"That is part and parcel of football and you do get setbacks and you have to deal with them.

"We have a good squad but we are a little bit light and we are endeavouring to do something about it.

"Massimo has done some damage to the inside and outside of his ankle, which isn't good, and the period of time is longer than we thought it was going to be."