Middlesbrough must take Jonny Howson action after recent comments: View | OneFootball

With the recent revelation that Jonny Howson wants to continue his career, Middlesbrough should begin drafting up a new contract to hand to the veteran midfielder before the end of the season.

The North Yorkshire club are set to lose Howson on a free transfer in the summer if they do not agree a new deal with the midfielder.

He has been key to their season so far, and is a big part of why they are still in the running for a play-off place in the Championship.

He also captained the side to the EFL Cup semi-final, playing in both legs against Chelsea as Boro crashed out just before reaching the final at Wembley Stadium.

Howson has made it clear he wants to remain at the club, which is something that manager Michael Carrick will have to take note of before his deal expires.

While he turns 36 in May, Howson is not looking towards his retirement just yet, and wants to continue his career into his 37th year, either at Boro or another club who will have him.

The former Norwich City and Leeds United midfielder signed a new one-year contract at the end of last season, penning rolling 12-month deals as his career comes close to an end after over 600 appearances in English league football.

Gazette Live quotes Howson as saying that he wants to continue for another season at the Riverside, but would not hesitate to leave the clug is a new contract was not offered to him before the end of his current deal.

"I’ve spoken about a fair few different reasons that I’ve got that are priorities and motivation for me. That’s not changed. I still feel good and if they want me here then great, if not, I guess I’ll have to look for a new club! I’ve been in these situations a few times now throughout my career, for different reasons."

Boro should move quickly to sign Howson after revelation

With Howson revealing that he ideally wants to remain at the Riverside into next year, Carrick would be foolish not to draw up a new deal for the veteran midfielder.

The club captain has already played 25 times for Boro in the league this year, and has been an important player for Carrick's side so far.

His 22 starts and 80 minutes played per game on average show that he is still a key player in the team, despite his advancing age.

The 35-year-old's one assist in the Championship doesn't look impressive, but Howson has an expected assist metric of 3.42 so far.

The three big chances he has created show he is making opportunities for the forwards in the Boro team which they simply aren't finishing.

Defensively, he has been solid in midfield for his side. With 1.5 tackles per game and 6 balls recovered per game, he is keen in reclaiming possession for Boro, and allowing them to hit teams on the counter-attack.

His experience in English football is also a massive addition to the squad.

Howson has played for three impressive English sides, and has been part of clubs that have been promoted to the Premier League, relegated to League One and everything else in between. He has seen and done it all, and could be vital to a potential promotion push by Boro in the next two years.

If he does leave, Howson could also be crucial to other promotion-chasing teams in the division, so Boro will need to take that into account when mulling over whether to keep their captain.

Despite is age, he has been a key part of Carrick's team, and the statement of intent that he wants to remain at the Riverside is something that the Boro board should be jumping on, and immediately drafting up a new deal for the veteran.