Tenacious midfielder George Boateng has admitted his future could lie away from Middlesbrough as boss Gareth Southgate plans for the future.The 32-year-old Dutchman has played a key role at the Riverside Stadium under both Steve McClaren, the man who bought him from Aston Villa for £5million in August 2002, and former Villa and Boro team-mate Southgate.

However Boateng, who was recently relieved of the captain's armband in favour of Julio Arca, is no longer an automatic choice and faces having to fight for his place.

That is not a challenge he fears but with just a year remaining on his contract he accepts he may have to consider alternative employment.

"There is a possibility, yes. I would be lying if I said no," Boateng said. "But as long as I am here I will always give my best and perform well because I am not so fickle.

"When it comes to what the club has done for me and vice-versa, the things the fans said about me, the way they appreciated what I did, I haven't forgotten that.

"Overall, it has been great, I can't complain at the way my career has been here but there will be a time when you cannot stay here forever.

"I have one year left, but it is not whether I want to be here, it's whether the club wants me here, and wanting and showing someone that you want him to be here are two different things.

"I don't know if I have the right to be here for another year because I do feel the club is going to make dramatic changes during the summer.

"If I am honest, I don't see myself having a long-term future here, longer than the year I have, so we will have to review it in the summer and see what will happen."

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