Michael Carrick hinted that Jonny Howson might not have played his final game for Middlesbrough – with the club now set to decide whether to offer him and/or Anfernee Dijksteel new deals.

The pair are now both set to be out of contract before Boro next kick a ball after their season ended in disappointment at Coventry City on Saturday. A 2-0 defeat in the Midlands condemned Boro to a disappointing tenth-place finish, meaning they missed out on the play-offs despite taking the battle to the final day.

Officially, Dijksteel and Howson are contracted to Boro until the end of June, but clubs are obligated to tell the players and the EFL of their decisions earlier. The EFL then usually distributes the list even if the club has not – though Boro tend to be quite sharp in releasing their retained list. The deadline with the EFL is usually the third Saturday of May for clubs like Boro who don’t make the play-offs (May 17 this year).

Quizzed on Howson and Dijksteel’s future after the Coventry defeat, Carrick said: “Those decisions will be made pretty soon. Conversations have taken place in different ways and there’ll be a final decision soon.I wouldn’t say that [it’s the end for Howson]. There’s still conversations to be had on that. It’s not defining by any stretch.

“I think there were a few tears to be honest, a few of the boys were hurting. They were disappointed for different reasons, and it shows how much they care. In terms of the Jonny one, let’s see. I said before it was about getting through to the end of the season. I spoke to Jonny about it and we were fine. We know where we’re at with each other.”

While Carrick didn’t feel the timing was right to offer final decisions on the out of contract pair, Boro are likely to be looking at another big rebuild this summer. They also have five loan players who will be returning to their loan clubs, with only really Mark Travers and Samuel Iling-Junior having small chances of returning next season.

“The next step is looking at the squad and what needs doing with the group,” Carrick did acknowledge. “We need to look at how we can improve things, and we can help the boys overcome the disappointment of the last day. We need to use that feeling that we have as motivation to come back strong.

“I think it’s just how it works. The summer becomes about recruitment and improving the team and the squad. I don’t think this summer is any bigger than any other one in that respect. I think there’s really good foundations in the group, and I think the core of the squad is really strong.

“It’s something we need to try to build on. We need to try to be stronger when we come out for the start of the season. We need to continue to evolve. That’s a constant challenge. But I think the stability we’ve built over two-and-a-half years or so is there. We’ve just got to keep adding to it.”

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