SAMMY Ameobi's persistent injury troubles continue with no timeframe placed on the Boro winger's return to the first-team from a knee injury.

Ameobi, 29, has not feautred for a single competitive minute for Neil Warnock's side since signing as a free agent in the summer after his release from Nottingham Forest. 

Boro make the trip to his former side tomorrow evening where Ameobi will, once again, play no part in the game at the City Ground. 

The injury has been a source of frustration for Warnock who placed faith in the winger that he had overcome his long-term knee injuries of the past. However, the Boro boss says it's the other knee that he's now havng problems with and he doesn't know when he will be available for Boro. 

A frustrated Warnock said: "I’m really disappointed that people like Ameobi haven’t been available for me.

"I thought that he would be really good asset in the way that we are going to play and not to have him available at all has been one of the big disappointments this season for me.

"He still has a lot of fluid coming off in his knee. It doesn't look likely in the next few weeks, if I'm honest. He's not training.

"I don't think they can do much until this fluid stops. I don't know the ins and outs, I just know he's not training at the moment and his knee isn't any better really.

"I saw him last week when he came in with his wife. He has a programme now, gym wise to try and build the muscle up without it flaring up with fluid.

"This is supposedly his good knee. He had a problem with the other knee for a couple of years but that's not giving him a problem, it's the other knee."

While Aemobi's injury has been a source of disappointment, the gap in the squad has opened the door for Isaiah Jones to come and fill the void. 

The youngster has put in a string of impressive performances for Boro with three assists in six league games so far. 

Warnock add: "It is disappointing because I thought he'd (Ameobi) be a big asset. Having said that, I don't think Isaiah Jones would have had a sniff if Ameobi had been here.

"He'd have probably been at Queen of the South or somewhere, so we wouldn't have found out about Isaiaih, who is looking a real prospect. You win some, you lose some."