Middlesbrough FC: George Edmundson reveals free agent fear amid Ipswich Town exit | OneFootball

The defender's contract at Portman Road is set to run out next summer

Middlesbrough loanee George Edmundson has admitted that he is playing for his future after joining the club for the season from Ipswich Town.

The defender’s current deal at Portman Road expires at the end of the season, and after being deemed surplus to requirements by the Premier League side, he knows he has to perform in the season ahead.

Having played in Town’s 4-1 defeat to Manchester City in the top flight last month, the 27-year-old made the move to The Riverside on deadline day, with a view of getting as much game time as possible at a pivotal point in his career.

The new arrival made his debut for the club against Preston North End at the weekend, and played the whole 90 minutes in a 1-1 draw against Paul Heckingbottom’s side.

George Edmundson makes Ipswich Town, Middlesbrough admission

While his contract in Suffolk ticks down, Edmundson has made the move to the north east to try and impress potential suitors ahead of the summer of 2025, where the chances are he will be parting ways with the Tractor Boys.

With injuries to a number of key Boro personnel including Dael Fry, Darragh Lenighan and Raw van den Berg, the Ipswich loanee will be eager to make his mark during his time with the Teessiders, to benefit himself in the short-term and long-term.

He said to Teesside Live: "I am out of contract next year so I am playing for my next deal, no one wants to be a free agent.

“So I need to perform, play well and hopefully achieve something here and who knows, you want to play at the biggest and the best clubs. But all I can do is perform, forget about that and what comes will come.

"We all have different attributes and some games might suit me, some might suit somebody else.

“It is just important if you get picked great but for the ones who don’t, they are still involved in the squad and I want the lads to do well.

"If I don’t get picked, and vice versa and want players in my position to perform, you just want that competitiveness which just makes everybody better."

Middlesbrough chief admits long-term George Edmundson interest

It seems that both player and club could be on the same wavelength regarding a longer stay in the north east, with Boro head of football Kieran Scott already hinting that the defender could have a longer-term future at the club.

Speaking earlier in the month, Scott revealed that although Edmundson had been brought in on a season-long loan from the Premier League outfit, there was scope for a more permanent relationship between player and club in the future.

Scott said: “George is coming in to help us at the minute navigate a centre-back issue. But we see a future in George as well.

"We think he's someone who can be a future asset. We're in a good position on that loan. We'll see how he settles down. I'm sure he'll be playing soon."

With that in mind, if Edmundson can produce some solid performances at the back over the course of the campaign, there could be a just reward for him when next summer comes around.