The 19-year-old took to social media on Monday, posting a picture of his foot and toe strapped up, alongside the caption: “All part of the game. Blessed the surgery was a successful one”.
Dede, who joined Boro from Celtic in January, first suffered the injury back in March when he was playing for the Under-21s against Liverpool. Then-Boro boss Michael Carrick said at the time it was a suspected fracture.
The timing was a major blow for the teenager, who had impressed after joining in the winter window. The plan was for Dede to initially link-up with the Under-21s when he joined but he was very much ahead of schedule and was named as a substitute for the first team for five Championship games in February and March.
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But the setback ruled the full-back out of the final couple of months of the season, and after the injury was still causing Dede problems at the start of pre-season, it was decided that surgery was the best course of action. It means Dede obviously misses this week’s Portugal training camp, with Rob Edwards having selected a squad of 27 for the trip.
It’s a blow for the right-back, who would been likely to get the opportunity to impress new boss Rob Edwards during the pre-season campaign. After the exit of Anfernee Dijksteel, Luke Ayling and Dede are the only right-backs currently on the club’s books.
Signing a right-back is a priority for Boro this summer.
It’s not clear at this stage how long Dede will be out of action, but the defender will be keen to get back as soon as possible and build on what was a promising start to life at Boro.
