Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate is waiting on David Wheater to put pen to paper on a new contract.

Southgate said: "To be honest, with David, I have been very impressed by his family, and that's a credit to the upbringing they have given him.

"We take them on board at 15, 16, but the people who really are most important in any player's development are his parents at the beginning.

"They set the tone for all of us on the long road ahead of us. His father's attitude to everything I found really refreshing and I enjoyed conversations with him.

"I am very hopeful we can get an agreement with David and his family and his advisors and we can help to improve him further as a player. The long and short of it is David wants to stay and his dad's attitude to keeping him hungry was very refreshing.

"It is a deal we want to do and, like Stewart Downing, if we can get it wrapped up, it will be an important one for us as a club."