Premiership: Hamstring puts Whelan out of Cup semi

Middlesbrough striker Noel Whelan is out of Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final clash with Arsenal after tearing a hamstring.

Boro boss Steve McClaren feared the worst on Saturday afternoon when the former Leeds and Coventry player limped out of the 2-1 FA Barclaycard Premiership win over Aston Villa with just 10 minutes gone.

A scan has now confirmed that the hamstring is badly torn, and that means he will miss Sunday’s showdown with the Gunners at Old Trafford and almost certainly the remainder of the season.

‘‘Noel has a bad hamstring tear and will definitely miss the semi-final,’’ said a club spokesman. ‘‘He will be out for the forseeable future.’’