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Middlesbrough will be without striker Jeremie Aliadiere for six weeks following an ankle operation and manager Gordon Strachan is seeking a replacement.

The former Arsenal man missed last weekend's draw with Preston on account of the problem and was put under the knife in London on Monday.

The operation passed off without a hitch but the Frenchman will be sidelined until the back end of December.

"He had an arthroscopy and two small pieces of bone were flushed out of his ankle." Boro's head of medical Grant Downie told the club's official website

"The operation was a success and I would expect Jeremie to be available to return to training in six weeks."

Aliadiere has scored three goals this term as Boro seek to secure promotion the the Premier League.

And with the Frenchman out of the picture, new Boro boss is looking to raid the loan market.

"We are trying to get people in on loan," said Strachan.

"I've been at a club previously where we've been the ones loaning out players, so it's been unusual to be the one phoning other managers to ask about possible loans.

"We are short in the striking department, that's obvious. If you look at the teams who've been promoted recently, they've been strong up front, so we need to be stronger in that area, that's for sure.

"There's nothing done but that might change."

Eurosport