Middlesbrough fans will no doubt be keen for clarity over the future of manager Michael Carrick.
Having taken over at The Riverside Stadium back in October 2022, the 42-year-old has done an excellent job in charge of the club.
Under him, they have gone from a club looking over their shoulders at the Championship relegation zone, to one regularly competing for a place in the play-offs.
As a result, there may be concerns about the fact that his current deal with Middlesbrough is due to expire at the end of next season.
Now though, it seems things are moving in a positive direction, when it comes to the prospect of extending his stay at The Riverside Stadium.
Progress on new Michael Carrick contract
According to a new update from The Northern Echo reporter Dominic Shaw, Carrick has now held positive talks with Middlesbrough about extending his contract.
With his deal set to expire in the summer of 2025, the 42-year-old is apparently calm about the situation regarding his future.
Even so, he is said to be keen extend his stay, evidently enjoying his time at The Riverside Stadium so far.
On the pitch, Middlesbrough are currently 13th in the Championship table, 11 points adrift of the play-offs.
They are next in action on Saturday afternoon, when they make the trip to the Bet365 Stadium to face relegation-threatened Stoke City.
Contract update welcome for Middlesbrough
This new over a potential new contract for Carrick will no doubt go down well at Middlesbrough.
It is a remarkable job that he has done in terms of turning the club’s fortunes around, since he took over at The Riverside Stadium.
Given he is still learning as a manager, you also feel there is likely to be more to come from him, as he develops in that role.
If Middlesbrough are able to keep him, they will be the ones who are able to benefit from that development. Indeed, that is something they will no doubt hope eventually gets them back to the Premier League.
A new contract obviously gives them a good chance of being the ones to gain from the managerial abilities of Carrick in the long-term.
There will therefore be plenty connected with Middlesbrough keen to see that get done, sooner rather than later.
Indeed, the fact talks are already ongoing when there is more than a year left on his current deal, does show the club are being proactive here.
That in turn, also reflects well on the work being done behind the scenes at Middlesbrough.