MARTIN Payero has been ruled out for Middlesbrough’s highly anticipated clash with Derby County this weekend with the club facing a nervous wait for scan results on his ankle injury. 

Payero, 22, was stretchered off in the later stages of Boro’s 2-2 draw with Queens Park Rangers after landing awkwardly from a heavy challenge.

The extent of the injury is yet to be determined with the club due to undergo assessments of the damage but there’s no chance he will make the game at the Riverside Stadium tomorrow.

Manager Chris Wilder revealed: “We’re waiting for the results of a scan.

“We’re waiting for the swelling to go down so he misses out on Saturday.

“It’s no good me trying to be clever. It’s really disappointing for Martin. You saw the reaction of him and everybody and to be carried off like that was a disappointing aspect of a really positive night.

“Apart from not picking up the three points, there was so many positives to come from out of that but obviously the negative was seeing Martin getting carried off.

“He’s got swelling around his ankle so we’ll wait for that to go down, get that scanned up and fingers crossed we’ll have a touch of luck with it and a touch of luck for the boy as well.

“Martin’s come on and he’s gone in for a full blooded challenge, it’s a committed challenge.

“It’s unfortunate, difficult, unlucky are words you could use but that won’t last forever. Hopefully we’ll have a little bit of luck with Martin and his scan and we can get him back as soon as possible.”

The Argentine has endured a difficult spell on Teesside since his move from Banfield in the summer.

The 23-year-old has started just six Championship games this season and scored one goal in Boro’s 2-0 win over Cardiff City back in October.

Meanwhile, Matt Crooks will be available for the game tomorrow after going off in the later stages of the game for Payero due to a facial injury. 

When asked about Crooks' availability for the game, Wilder joked: “The big daft tree! He’s just got a whack to one of his branches. So he’s alright.

“The drug testers were with us on Wednesday night so obviously he has to perform something that for drug testers to get what they need to get. The coach was delayed a little bit so he got a little bit of stick. It was quite interesting and funny to see his head get stitched up on the back of the coach late on Wednesday night.

“He’s a tough old Yorkshire boy and he will get on with it. He’s okay and he’s available."