Kim Hellberg has confirmed that Middlesbrough’s summer recruit Rokas Pukstas was injured in training before the Wolves triumph.

Borough returned to Championship play at the weekend, defeating Cesar Peixoto’s side 1-0 thanks to a second-half goal from Will Lankshear.

The victory propelled the Teesside club to second place in the table after nine games, two points behind leaders Swansea City.

However, Pukstas’ absence was noteworthy because he has failed to integrate into Hellberg’s club since joining from Hajduk Split in the summer.

Middlesbrough committed to a £4.3 million deal to buy the American, although he has only appeared once in the league, coming off the substitute in a 1-0 victory against QPR in September.

He also appeared in the 3-0 loss against Crystal Palace in the EFL Cup’s third round on September 8.

Kim Hellberg confirms Middlesbrough’s injury setback.

Hellberg has stated that Pukstas will be sidelined for an extended length of time due to an injury sustained during training prior to Saturday’s game against Wolves.

The Middlesbrough manager said that the rush of games at the start of the season made it difficult to integrate new acquisitions into the club, which is why players like Connor Barron only joined the squad last weekend.

“He [Pukstas] is injured,” Hellberg told The Northern Echo.

“Unfortunately, he injured himself during the break, and he is out.

“I believe you can see in a lot of teams now that players signed in the summer are starting to have an impact.

“It was really difficult to prepare new signings at the start of the season, when you are constantly on the pitch.

“You have players who may not have had a pre-season, therefore I believe many teams have battled to bring fresh players into their squads and up to speed.

“He [Barron] worked extremely well during the break, and it’s great to have him back in the squad.

“He is a very good player.”

Barron joined the Championship side from Rangers in the summer, on loan for the season.

He has yet to appear for Hellberg’s side, but he was named to the matchday roster for the triumph over the Old Gold at the Riverside.

The midfielder appeared 27 times in the Premiership in 2025/26, assisting twice, to help Rangers finish third in the table.

However, it is unclear when Pukstas will return to action for the team after his physical setback.

Middlesbrough’s impressive Championship form

Middlesbrough returned to winning ways on Saturday after drawing their last two games before the three-week international break.

The Teesside club has 18 points from a possible 27, putting them in the automatic promotion places in the early stages of the season.

Middlesbrough stats vs. Wolves (from Fotmob.com)

Stat

Figure

Expected Goals (xG)

0.90

Shots (on Target)

14 (6)

Touches in the opposition area.

22

Big chances

0

Accurate passes (percentage

432 (87%)

Yellow cards.

0

Corners

4

The result also puts them four points ahead of Wolves, who have one game in hand over their opponents.

Hellberg’s side’s next match is against Stoke City on Tuesday at 8 p.m.

Rokas Pukstas’ injury has occurred at the worst time.

The three-week international break provided an excellent opportunity for Pukstas to get fully integrated with the team and potentially gain minutes when the league returned.

So this injury has occurred at an unfortunate time in his Middlesbrough career, and he will be hoping that it is not too serious and that he can return to action soon.

The games are coming thick and fast now, and Hellberg will need all of his choices to rotate and maintain everyone at their peak performance.

Pukstas’ injury could be Barron’s time to break into the lineup, as he has yet to see action since joining Rangers.