Unsettled Middlesbrough midfielder George Boateng has again admitted that he could be set to leave The Riverside this summer.The club captain has been in and out of the side this season and had a training ground bust-up with manager Gareth Southgate in January.

He has since worked his way back into the team, but his future is anything but certain with just a year left on his contract at The Riverside.

"Will I be here next season? I don't know," said Boateng. "But in all honesty, I don't want another year like this.

"For somebody like me, who has been in the rise of the club for five years, being a major part, then going to being second, third choice and sometimes no choice, as well as having the pride I had in being captain, has been hard.

"There is the possibility that I might leave but I am not saying I will leave. If you are not in my shoes, you cannot feel how I feel, especially if you are very competitive like me.

"I don't want to be here and pick up heavy wages and don't do anything. I would rather leave. It is because I want to achieve in life. If I am not playing or not happy, I am wasted."

Boateng, 32, insists he does not want a repeat of the current season next term.

"What I am saying is if the decision comes and I have to make it, I will make it," he said. "This place has been a major part in my career and my life. If I leave it will be hard.

"I have two daughters, one born in Stockton, one in Middlesbrough.

"Regardless of what happens, this place will always be special. If it was up to me I would rather see out the remaining year here and enjoy it, like it was before. If it will be a season like this, I would rather move on."

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