Source: Daily_Mail
HATCHET MAN: Fans may welcome Alves's absence but Brazilian's injury could hit Boro hard
Afonso Alves may not see it this way and injuries are never nice, but the broken foot he suffered against Middlesbrough has probably done him a massive favour.
Happier times: Afonso Alves has struggled at Middlesbrough
The club's £12million signing is on good money at the Riverside that he might not be able to get elsewhere and his performance in the Barclays Premier League hasn't deserved.
He was set for the exit whatever happens to relegation-threatened Middlesbrough but the injury might just keep him at the club a bit longer, allowing him to watch the cash pile-up while he recovers.
Alves will need to prove his fitness to anyone silly enough to want to sign him too so Gareth Southgate may be stuck with him for some time. For the manager and the club, it is undoubtedly a serious blow.
