Middlesbrough vs Sheffield United team news: Three changes with Fry starting but Crooks missing

Middlesbrough are without Matt Crooks for their Championship clash with Sheffield United at the Riverside, with the midfielder out through illness.

Chris Wilder mentioned bumps and bruises in his press conference ahead of the game and while there are no other notable absentees, Crooks was the notable name missing from the Boro team sheet. But rather than an injury, Boro tweeted to say that the midfielder was out through illness.

There were three changes from the last league game against QPR last weekend, and eight from the midweek cup game where Boro rang the changes.

The three from the last league game saw Dael Fry, Paddy McNair and Chuba Akpom start ahead of Marc Bola, Crooks and Duncan Watmore, with Bola and Watmore both on the bench. It means it looks like Fry will partner Anfernee Dijksteel and Darragh Lenihan in the back three, with McNair in midfield in place of Crooks.

Live updates from Boro vs Sheffield United

On the bench, new boys Alex Mowatt and Matthew Hoppe were both named and available to make their Boro debuts later in the match against Chris Wilder's former side. Fry makes his first league start of the season after completing 90 minutes on Wednesday evening too.

Steffen, Dijksteel, Lenihan, Fry, Jones, Howson, McNair, McGree, Giles, Forss, Akpom

Roberts, Smith, Bola, Mowatt, Hackney, Hoppe, Watmore

Live updates from Boro vs Sheffield United

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