TONY PULIS admits he faces some “difficult decisions” as he ponders his starting line-up for tomorrow night’s trip to Sheffield Wednesday, with a number of Middlesbrough’s players still to take part in training because of their international commitments.

Darren Randolph, George Saville, Mo Besic and Martin Braithwaite all played in international matches on Tuesday night, and Pulis will be assessing them closely before deciding whether to name them in his starting line-up at Hillsborough.

Braithwaite is the least likely starter as he only arrived back in the North-East late yesterday and has not even been assessed by the club’s medical staff yet.

Saville and Besic played against each other as Northern Ireland faced Bosnia in Sarajevo, and Pulis will not risk either if he feels there is a chance of them suffering from fatigue.

The Middlesbrough manager said: “Most of the lads are back now, although Martin only came in late yesterday afternoon. I haven’t seen him training yet, so we’ll have to see what he looks like today.

“There’s decisions to be made in terms of what team I select for tomorrow, and a lot of that will be determined by how they train today. I’ll be speaking closely to the doctor and the medical staff too.

“The Savilles of this world have played two games, along with McNair. Besic only played in the one game, but Braithwaite was involved in two games and also did quite a bit of travelling. It’s just about seeing how they are in training, and then taking a view from there.”

Pulis was critical of the Football League’s decision to select Boro’s trip to Hillsborough as a live television game prior to the international break, and has written a formal letter outlining his criticisms.

Whereas Boro had ten players away on international duty, Sheffield Wednesday only had one player absent, and Pulis feels the discrepancy is unfair.

He said: “The break is difficult because we don’t get the players back. Sheffield Wednesday had one player away – we had ten.

“This will be our first day training today. That's disappointing, but we have to get on with it. The facts are the facts - we've put that forward to the bodies concerned – but we don't think that's a fair outcome.

“It can be difficult. In times to come, whether it's Middlesbrough or other clubs, if they're picking games on a Friday night, try pick it more even.

“Sheffield Wednesday have had two weeks where they've had players in every day, we've had players coming in yesterday leaving us one day.

“I've put a letter in and I think they understand where we're coming from. We'll see. It's too late for us, but it's not just about Middlesbrough, it's about other teams in the league and the league itself.”

The international break saw Lewis Wing sign a new long-term deal at the Riverside, and while the former Shildon winger has found his Championship opportunities limited in recent weeks, Pulis regards him as an extremely bright prospect for the future.

He said: “I’m delighted with Lewis. He's come on a bomb since going out on loan. The lad has come on a bomb.

“That's one of the main reasons why so many young players are going forward, they're being allowed to go out on loan. Lewis is another example of someone who has pushed on. He's got a long way to go yet, but we're delighted with him. Given time, he's got a great chance.”