Boro chief Chris Wilder, whose side finished the Championship season in seventh and one place outside of the top six following a 4-1 final-day loss at Preston, confirmed that his retained list will be released early next week.

Howson, singled out for praise by Wilder for being the only player who produced a decent performance as their season ended in insipid fashion, is among those Boro players who are out of contract next month.

Wilder said: "Jonny was one player who I could rely on today from a mentally point of view and looked at home and was comfortable. He was a leader and by far and away our best performer.

"We have not published our retained list yet. But as you can imagine, you have seen Jonny since we have been here and he has been our best player and there's a good opportunity that we might be offered a new contract."

On his side's showing at Deepdale, he continued: “You come to any Championship game, regardless of whether it’s the 46th Championship game of the season, play-off final, first game of the season, if it’s Tuesday night here on a freezing November, players have got to turn up and play. We’ve not had anybody apart from Jonny Howson.

“You look at the opposition, I would say sevens and eights. Riis and Archer at the top of the pitch destroyed our back three. Their back three dominated our two boys at the top of the pitch. I can’t really take a comfort from the performance.

“You don’t play well individually, how are you going to put a team performance together?

“I thought we were alright for the first ten or fifteen minutes. We were comfortable and obviously the first goal changes the dynamics of everything, gives them a boost.

“We go into a shell and make some poor decisions. On the far side, however he comes out of a tackle between two of our players and then it’s a deflection. All of a sudden, you’re staring down the barrel. Pressure to win the game intensifies."

Middlesbrough set to offer a new contract to midfielder Jonny Howson