Nigel Pearson has revealed that he is planning ahead to next season despite his current contract with Bristol City only running until the end of 2020/21 and suggested he doesn't feel the need to force the issue when it comes to his future.

Pearson was named as Dean Holden's permanent successor last month, joining on a short-term deal with scope to a longer stay if it is a good fit.

The experienced manager has taken three points from his first three games while in charge of the Robins with Saturday's defeat against QPR highlighting just how much work needs to be done in Bs3.

There will be some suggesting that the club should be tying the 57-year-old down and looking to plan for next season – with City's Championship survival all but secure – but, speaking to the Bristol Post, he has suggested he is planning for the future already.

"All those types of subjects are ongoing anyway," he explained. "I'm not going to come in here and wait until the end of the season to start planning things like pre-season. Pre-season planning is well underway anyway.

"In terms of my own situation, we had an agreement on what the short term looked like and both parties are open for discussions. We'll see where it goes. I don't see any need to force the issue.

"I can see why it's something which is a topic of conversation. At the moment these are private conversations but I'm enjoying my time here and that's very important for me as well and we'll see where it goes in the next few weeks.

"As far as I'm concerned there's nothing to worry about in that regard."

This week is a rare opportunity for reflection for City, who do not have a midweek game for the first time in more than a month.

Their next game comes on Saturday when they travel to St Andrew's to take on Birmingham City.

The Verdict

Pearson's comments suggest that he's planning for the long-term and will be likely be staying at Ashton Gate beyond the end of the season – bar any disasters between now and then.

He looks exactly the calibre of manager that the Robins need at the moment as they look to take the next step from being just an established Championship side.

Not only does he have promotion experience, Pearson is not afraid of ruffling a few feathers and shaking things up – something that you feel may work wonders with the current City squad.