Razak Boukari will miss rest of Wolves' season

The £3m summer signing from Rennes is facing an operation on his calf injury that will keep him out until next season. Boss Dean Saunders had been hoping Boukari was going to return to action this month after briefly returning to full training.

But the 25-year-old has broken down for a third time and joins Carl Ikeme, Dave Edwards and Bakary Sako in becoming the fourth Wolves player in less than a fortnight to be out for the rest of the campaign.

"He's going to see a specialist in Finland next Wednesday and he might have to have an operation on his calf, which will get him right for next season," said Saunders.

"He's struggling. This is the third time he has broken down now so that's a blow.

"Basically, the two calf muscles are joined but one of his has slipped away from the other one.

"Normally, when you put them back, the scar tissue heals and seals them together. But if the scar tissue isn't strong enough, they go again.

"He gets to a point and he just feels it again, so they're going to have to sew them back together. It's a blow."

Boukari suffered the injury on September 29 and was initially expected to be out for six weeks.

Meanwhile, new keeper Marian Kello is expected to be third choice with Aaron McCarey on the bench against Middlesbrough tomorrow.

Slovakia international Kello hasn't played for two months after a stint in the Romanian First Division and needs to build up his fitness again.