Bristol Rovers loan signing Josh Coburn did not feature for Middlesbrough under-21s on Friday, but there are no fresh fitness concerns ahead of his move to the Mem. Both Gas manager Joey Barton and Boro boss Chris Wilder said he was set to play for Boro's development squad against Newcastle United at Bishop Auckland, but he was not on the teamsheet.
Bristol Live understands that was because of technicalities surrounding his loan agreement, which meant he was unable to get minutes under his belt before joining up with the Gas next week, although he will still head down south as planned. The striker joined Rovers on a season-long loan on deadline day, but he has remained with his parent club to complete his recovery from a knee injury suffered in the first game of the campaign.
With his rehab in the finishing stages, both clubs agreed a youth game would be the best step forward in his return to senior action, but red tape prevented the 19-year-old from getting a runout. Instead, he is set to take his first steps back from injury with the Gas, who have two EFL Trophy ties in the coming weeks that could be viewed as good opportunities to get him match practice.
Wilder hopes Coburn, who has scored five Championship goals in 23 appearances, will return to Teesside as a better player when his time with Rovers is up. He said: “It’s an important season for him. He’s a young boy breaking into the team. He has had a disjointed pre-season and he got injured in the first game against West Brom. It was quite a lengthy period out as well and the first time he’s been out, so an opportunity for him to know what it’s about being an injured footballer and know that situation and what you need to do because it’s not a nice situation.
“He’s worked hard and looking forward to him progressing and kicking his career on. Ultimately, he comes back to us after being under decent coaching from Joey (Barton) and the coaching staff there, playing some games there and experiencing regular first-team football. He’s got to get in their team first and then he hopefully comes back to us being a better player."
Barton expects Coburn to be a big asset for Rovers this season. He added: "What people are missing is he will be a real player for us. He is a proper player, so he’ll come in and it will be like getting a new signing a month after the window has closed."
SIGN UP: To receive our free Rovers newsletter, bringing you the latest from the Mem
READ NEXT:
