AITOR KARANKA is hoping Daniel Ayala has not suffered a serious ankle injury - but the Middlesbrough defender remains a major doubt for Tuesday's trip to MK Dons.

Ayala was forced off in the first half of yesterday's 1-1 draw with Blackburn Rovers after injuring his ankle as he competed for a high ball in the opposition box.

The Spaniard twisted his ankle, and while he initially tried to continue, he was eventually forced off shortly before the break, with Tomas Kalas coming on to replace him.

Ayala is currently being assessed by the medical staff at Boro's Rockliffe Park training ground, but while he is unlikely to be sidelined for a lengthy spell, he faces a race against time to be available for Tuesday's trip to Stadium MK.

Karanka said: “I don’t know how bad it is, we will have to speak to the doctor. He fell to the floor and twisted his ankle, so we hope it is nothing serious.

"But if we don’t have Dani (on Tuesday), we have Tomas and other players who can play."