JONATHAN WOODGATE has outlined a desire to manage one day, but firstly the former England defender wants to be ready for the SOS call from Aitor Karanka to help Middlesbrough’s promotion push.

Woodgate will turn 36 in January and admits this is likely to be his last season as a footballer after delaying a decision to retire by a further 12 months in the summer.

The centre-back is yet to appear in the Championship this term and accepts it will be hard to break into the team unless injuries affect the squad.

But Woodgate, who describes himself as “available for selection”, is determined to stay fit to ensure he can slot straight into the Boro team when he is needed.

He said: “I will probably be done after this season but I will see what happens. For now I will be there when the manager needs me. When he wants me to play I’ll play.

“We’ve got some terrific centre-halves at the club who are doing really well. I will just try to support them. In training I will try to offer advice but the team is playing some great stuff at the moment.

“When you’ve had the injuries I have had then you have to learn to take as it comes. You get on with it and deal with it. You can’t mope about, you’ve just got to come back fitter and stronger than you were before.

“After I’ve finished playing my ambition is to go in to coaching and then management but there is still an awful long way to go.”

At the end of last season Woodgate headed on holiday to consider his future and had been expected to retire. He delayed that, however, when Stewart Downing returned to the Riverside and Alex Baptiste – a defender signed in the summer – suffered a season-long injury during pre-season.

And while his only outing so far was in the Capital One Cup victory over Burton Albion, Woodgate is not too concerned. He is also using the extra year at to boost his experience to aid a long term wish to become a coach/manager.

Boro's academy director Dave Parnaby is helping him along the way. Woodgate told the Football League Paper: “I have taken the Under-16s for the odd sessions just to get my minutes in for the B Licence qualification.

“Dave has asked me to follow one of the teams and just help out when I can. So I have been doing that just to get a feel for it. It’s great seeing a kid develop and if I can help in that development it would be fantastic.

“I’ve got to do my A Licence after my B and the intention is to follow that with the Pro Licence, which is going to take some time but at the moment that’s my pathway. That will take three to four years. You can still get a job without your Pro Licence but my aim is to get all my qualifications.”

Boro will have to make one change at the heart of the defence when Fulham travel to the Riverside on Saturday. Fernando Amorebieta is ineligible to face the Cottagers under the terms of his loan from the Cottagers. Ben Gibson is likely to slot in as Amorebieta’s replacement.

Fulham are six points adrift of the play-off places in mid-table after an inconsistent start and there are reports that manager Kit Symons could be sacked if they fail to win in the North-East. Steve Bruce, the Hull boss, has been touted as a replacement.