MIDDLESBROUGH appear unlikely to sign free agent Erik Pieters on the back of the defender's short stint training with the club at the end of last week.
Pieters was drafted in to train with Boro's first team last week on the back of the injury crisis that has left Michael Carrick with no fit central defenders for tomorrow's home game against QPR.
The 36-year-old spent a couple of days on Teesside at the end of the week but didn't train with the squad on Monday and it now appears extremely unlikely that Boro will offer the defender any sort of deal.
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Carrick said: "Erik did train with us some days last week. It was something last week.
"He wasn't in with the group today. It's something that was just ongoing.
"We explored it, we were looking at different things. Erik came with us last week and trained with us."
Pieters hasn't played a first team game this season. He left West Brom last summer and although he linked up with Luton Town on a short-term deal in December, he left in January without featuring for the Hatters.
Boro's injury crisis deepened on Saturday when Dael Fry was forced off late on in the defeat to Swansea City.
He joins Rav van den Berg, George Edmundson and Luke Ayling on the sidelines, with Boro finishing Saturday's game with Jonny Howson and Neto Borges at centre-half.
Saturday's defeat left Carrick's side five points adrift of the play-off places with 10 games to play.
