MARTIN BRAITHWAITE’S Middlesbrough future has been cast into serious doubt after he was omitted from the squad for Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Blackburn Rovers.

Braithwaite did not make the match-day 18 at the Riverside, with a candid Tony Pulis admitting his recent performances, both in matches and on the training ground, did not merit his inclusion ahead of teenager Marcus Tavernier.

Three months ago, Braithwaite submitted a transfer request in an attempt to force through a move to Spanish side Leganes, only for Pulis to block his departure when it became clear he would be unable to secure an experienced replacement.

The Denmark international is expected to be the subject of renewed interest from the continent when the transfer window reopens in January, and provided Boro are able to recoup the £9m they paid to sign the 27-year-old from Toulouse in 2017, it now looks as though Braithwaite will be allowed to leave.

“It’s a challenge for Martin (to get back into the squad), but then it’s a challenge for everybody,” said Pulis, who watched his side slip to sixth position in the Championship table at the weekend. “I don’t pick people because I like them or dislike them.

“I pick people because they should be in the team. If you’re making a choice, and the choice was Tav or Martin, then I think Tav has been better than Martin over the past couple of weeks. Full stop. Never mind his age or how little he cost compared to how much Martin cost, you just go off their performances.”

Boro were forced to play with ten men for 70 minutes of Saturday’s game, but Pulis felt Mo Besic’s red card for a tug on Bradley Dack was an unfair dismissal.

“I’ll say it now – Besic does pull his shirt,” he said. “But I believe our goalkeeper was getting to the ball first, before their lad. I think it’s a yellow card, not a sending off.

“How they make that decision from that distance – and a decision that ultimately changed the game – is beyond me.

“I think you’ve got to be 110 per cent sure that you’re stopping him from scoring a goal, or stopping a clear-cut chance.”