MIDDLESBROUGH, England (AP) _ Germany defender Robert Huth's move to Middlesbrough fell through Thursday after he failed a medical.
The 21-year-old Chelsea player missed most of the World Cup because an ankle problem that seemed to have cost him the transfer.
``It's a great shame for everyone involved that Robert won't be joining us at the present time,'' manager Gareth Southgate said on Middlesbrough's website.
Southgate reached a verbal agreement to sign Huth on June 7, but the defender had to wait until the end of the World Cup to pass a medical before the deal could be finalized.
Huth, who made his Chelsea debut in 2002, will return to Stamford Bridge.
