Middlesbrough boss Chris Wilder has refused to be drawn on whether he will look to sign Aaron Connolly on a permanent basis, as he focuses on winning promotion this season.

The Ireland international joined the Teesside outfit on loan from Brighton in the January transfer window and whilst he has only managed two goals in 13 appearances since, his performances in recent weeks have impressed.

That has unsurprisingly brought talk about whether the forward will extend his stay at the Riverside Stadium to a long-term one, but Wilder told the Northern Echo that a decision on that hasn't been made.

"It’s not something we’ve thought about. We’re working away behind the scenes, in terms of looking at potential things that could happen, and that’s something we always have to do in terms of medium and long-term planning.

"But in terms of the specifics, we’re wanting to focus on the here and now, and we’ve not really talked to players about contract situations. We want the full focus on the job in hand, which is trying to get into the play-offs. Let’s not get ourselves distracted."

Connolly is expected to feature as Boro take on Fulham this evening.

The verdict

In truth, this probably isn't a surprise as bringing Connolly in is going to be linked to what division they are in.

If Boro go up, they may not want the forward, whilst it also needs to make financial sense, and you also have to take into account what the player wants, so there are plenty of factors here.

Therefore, it's right to be revisited in the summer, with the only focus for Connolly and Boro to ensure they win promotion.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.