MICHAEL Carrick and Jonny Howson are yet to discuss the Middlesbrough captain's future as he approaches the end of his contract at the Riverside.
But Carrick says all parties are on the same page and happy to put those talks and decisions on the backburner as Boro focus on the immediate challenge of playing their way into the Championship play-offs.
The current situation is nothing new for Howson, who has signed single year extensions at the end of the last couple of seasons.
This campaign has been a frustrating one for the long-serving midfielder, but despite his injury frustrations in the first half of the season and the fact he turns 37 in May, Howson has again shown his Boro importance in the last couple of weeks.
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The skipper returned early from a lengthy injury lay-off and came to Boro's rescue after a string of defensive setbacks.
Playing out of position at centre-half, Howson has been superb in the last few weeks, helping Boro revive their top six hopes and offering a reminder of his quality and influence as the end of his current deal approaches.
But Carrick and Howson are happy to put any talks over what happens at the end of the season on hold for now.
Carrick said: "There's nothing to add at this stage. At the moment we're right at the thick of it.
"We've obviously had a few weeks where we wanted to get back on track and put ourselves in the picture again. That's where we're at.
"Other than that I'm pretty calm about things. Let's see how the next few weeks develop and decisions will be made as that happens."
Asked whether Howson has expressed a desire to play on beyond this season, Carrick said: "I haven't approached it massively with him and put it on him.
"It was quite a unique situation with him coming back and saying he's ready to play from nowhere. That has taken preference over the last few weeks.
"We'll see how it goes. We're all pretty calm about it, we know where we're at. We'll be sensible about it and make the right decision."
