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.
