Middlesbrough Football Club defender has apologised for his challenge on Rodrigo Possebon.

The Austrian defender committed an awful foul on the Manchester United midfielder which left the Brazilian flat out for nine minutes, and after seeing the incident on TV, the Boro player has apologised.

"Firstly, I have to say that I went for the tackle because I thought I could win the ball," Pogatetz told the club's official website. "I now accept, however, that I misjudged the challenge.

"Immediately after the incident, I did not think it was a red-card offence because I did win the ball. But now that I have had the chance to see the tackle on TV, I know the ref was right to send me off."

"I am going to speak to Rodrigo by telephone and I will apologise for hurting him. I hope that he will make a quick recovery and that he will not be out for long."