15 appearances for the Blues. When the 2005–06 season started, Huth's chances of becoming a first-choice player at Chelsea in the near future seemed limited with John Terry, William Gallas and Ricardo Carvalho ahead of him in the Chelsea squad. These were the preferred central defenders for Chelsea manager José Mourinho, who had succeeded Ranieri in the summer of 2004. Huth scored twice for Chelsea, with one against MŠK Žilina in a Champions League qualifier and the other against Birmingham City in the FA Cup. At the end of the 2005–06 season, Huth stated that he was unhappy with his lack of first team chances, prompting Middlesbrough, Wigan Athletic and Everton to submit bids for his services. He stated that he would join Middlesbrough after the 2006 FIFA World Cup after agreeing a five-year deal. Middlesbrough On 13 July 2006, a proposed transfer to Middlesbrough was scuppered when Huth failed a medical. Middlesbrough continued to track Huth, and on 31 August he signed for the club for a fee of £6 million on a five-year contract. Huth had a tough start to his career at Middlesbrough as they lost 1–0 to Notts County in the League Cup. Manager Gareth Southgate stated that Huth was lacking in match fitness and decided to play him in a number of reserve matches. By mid-October, Huth had regained his fitness and played his first league match for Boro against Everton, which they won 2–1. He scored his first Boro goal in a 2–1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur on 5 December 2006. Huth's progress in a Middlesbrough shirt, however, was halted when he picked up a foot injury in a training session. Scans later revealed that he had suffered a stress fracture and was out for six weeks. He made his return as a substitute in an FA Cup tie against Manchester United on 19 March 2007, but shortly afterwards he again picked up an injury in a 3–1 defeat against Aston Villa. Huth underwent ankle surgery in the summer of 2007 in order to fix his problem; he consulted a specialist after failing to recover. Huth returned to training in November 2007 and made his comeback against Reading on 1 December. After the departure of Jonathan Woodgate to Tottenham, Huth was paired in central defence with David Wheater. On 3 February, Huth scored against Newcastle United to earn a point against Kevin Keegan's team.