Osmajic, Devine, Keane and the Preston North End injury news for Middlesbrough

Preston North End striker Milutin Osmajic is a ‘doubt’ for this weekend’s match against Middlesbrough.

The Lilywhites return to action after the international break, with league leaders Boro the visitors to Deepdale. Osmajic, who scored in each of the first three games this season, missed the trip to Portsmouth with a rib issue. He was then withdrawn from Montenegro squad to have treatment on the problem, but Heckingbottom thinks Boro will come to soon for the front man.

In Thursday’s pre-match press conference, he said: “Yeah, everyone's improving, getting better. Milly’s the only one who I'd say is a doubt. And when I say doubt, I just mean if he's not 100 per cent, we're not using him because he's missed a game or two. We've had to use this break to get some intense treatment and help him recover.

“If it's the sake of another couple of days; if it means he doesn't miss any more football, then we'll do that because it was a muscle injury. But the healing's good... he's had the scan, it's all healed. So yeah, we're pleased where he's at. He's about where we thought and we knew it would be touch and go, so we'll just see how he is.”

One boost for Preston will be the return of Tottenham Hotspur loanee Alfie Devine, who was a surprise absentee at Fratton Park two weeks ago. The midfielder - who scored on debut at home to Leicester City - is back in the fold.

Heckingbottom said: “Yeah he's been training, he's fine. We knew it was only minor and it was unfortunate he missed the last game, but I think similar to Lewis (Dobbin). When you're taking loan players a bit late, it was maybe not the pre-season that we've had. We tried to be very careful with Alfie and introduce him slowly, but he was still involved in lots of games so it's only natural that, at some point, we'd have to take the foot off the gas with him. But yeah, he's been fine, he's been training.”

Elsewhere, Heckingbottom reiterated that Brad Potts is the closest of the remaining North End absentees. Potts hasn’t played a minute this season along with Robbie Brady, Will Keane and summer recruit, Jordan Thompson.

The PNE boss said: “Yeah, all progressing . One or two are seeing specialists and making sure they can get the next stage of the rehab, or integrate back in training with us. Pottsy, probably next - fingers crossed - so yeah, all progressing. They're not going to be the next couple of games though. Touch wood we keep an injury-free squad from this weekend because it's going to be good to get that bench really loaded and now we can capitalise on the work we've been doing.”

On Keane specifically, Heckingbottom added: “Calf... he was warming up at the Bolton game. He's not training and like I said, when you're getting these consistent niggles I think it's important that we get to the bottom of it and make sure that when he comes back, he's fit enough and strong enough to stay fit and participate.

“Yeah, it's been a frustrating one for Keano coming back from the back end of last season, joining in pre-season but just not getting to that level where we can keep pushing and he can play to the level that he wants to. His pre-season had been stop- start because of little niggles and it's only fair and right, for him and for us, that we get to the point where we can use him all the time.”

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