Middlesbrough manager Jonathan Woodgate says he is in no rush to open negotiations with any of his squad who are currently approaching the end of their contracts with the club.

As it stands, there are six senior members of the 'Boro squad who are set to see their deals at the Riverside Stadium expire at the end of the season.

Of those six, five - Daniel Ayala, Jonny Howson, Ryan Shotton, Marvin Johnson and club captain George Friend - could be considered as potential first-team regulars this season, with Rudy Gestede, who has yet to start in the league for 'Boro this season, rounding out the sextet.

But despite the apparent importance to his side of the majority of those who could soon leave the club, it seems Woodgate is relaxed about the current contract situation at the club.

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Speaking about the prospect of new deals for that group of players, Woodgate was quoted by Teesside Live as saying: "It's going to be interesting, isn't it.

"We'll wait for the time being. We've got until the end of the season."

Discussing the progress those six are making towards earning new deals at the club, Woodgate continued: "Some are doing OK, some need to improve, but I'll cross that bridge later on and we'll make a decision."

Although he appears to have an idea about who may and may not be receiving new offers from the club, Woodgate admitted that he is not the only one who will have a say in those decisions, as he concluded: "It won't all be my decision of course but I'll have a good say on it."

It has been a difficult start to the season for Middlesbrough, who are currently 20th in the Championship standings with just two wins from their opening 11 league games of the season.

The Verdict

I think this is a smart decision for Middlesbrough, but only to an extent.

Given the club's somewhat precarious position at the minute, you can understand why they do not want to be offering out too many contracts until they know just what their situation is going to be longer-term.

However, I do think that if they leave this for too long, then other clubs might start to express an interest in some of these players, which could potentially leave 'Boro without the opportunity to secure a deal for some of them.

Considering the importance of a number of those players who are set to be out of contract to the side, it does seem as though that is a risk that 'Boro may not want to take too far.