STEVE AGNEW is waiting to learn from Middlesbrough chairman Steve Gibson what the future holds after the club’s one season stay in the Premier League officially ended in defeat at Anfield.

Agnew has taken on the role of head coach since Aitor Karanka’s departure in March and he has the support of the playing staff to continue in that position over the summer and next season.

But Gibson is known to be considering his options and is looking to clarify the situation within the fortnight, although he would hope to have something to announce before the end of this week if he can.

Agnew will meet up with the players this morning for a season debrief before they all head off on their holidays and are due to return for pre-season training at the end of June.

But he is unclear about his own situation while he waits to hear from Gibson, who is believed to have a shortlist of contenders.

Regardless of who leads the team, Agnew feels Middlesbrough must move fast to enable them to be in the best shape possible to push for promotion next season.

Agnew said: “It's Middlesbrough FC that we have to get right over the summer months, make sure we're all prepared for a real tough campaign in the Championship and bring some success to the club next season.

“I'm sure I'll talk to the chairman - whether it's this week or next week I'm not sure, I don't know any dates as I haven't spoken to him but I'm sure we'll have a chat at some point.”

Agnew won just one of his 11 matches in charge and was ultimately unable to keep them in the Premier League, even though he inherited a difficult situation following Karanka’s departure.

Middlesbrough were already on course for a return to the Championship when he took hold of the managerial reins, but he was also the assistant for the majority of the campaign so has felt the disappointment of relegation like everyone else.

He thinks conceding three goals at Liverpool without reply summed up the club’s woes.

Agnew said: “It's relentless, the Premier League in terms of mentality. To concede a goal is always a disappointment but then you have to stay with it and make sure that second goal doesn't go in. To concede quickly like we did, it then becomes tough in terms of creating chances and getting anything out of the game.”

Middlesbrough had actually looked solid for the most of the first half but former Newcastle United midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum’s opener seconds before the break proved costly.

Liverpool picked up where they left off after the restart when Phillipe Coutinho and Adam Lallana hit two more in the space of five minutes to seal the points.

Agnew said: “I think us controlling our game for 44 minutes summed it up actually, we were very well organised and did lots of work on the team shape.

“We frustrated Liverpool and in the Premier League you have to have a mentality as a group to see it through and make sure we come in at 0-0.”

Things might have been different had Patrick Bamford been awarded a penalty when he was tripped by Dejan Lovren when the scoreline was level. Referee Martin Atkinson waved play on.

Agnew said: “I thought it was a definite penalty and it's moments like that, when you're a counter-attacking team and break away and Patrick is the wrong side of the defender. I thought it was a penalty.”

Karanka, meanwhile, has spoken for the first time since leaving Middlesbrough and he has outlined a wish to manage again in England.

The former Middlesbrough boss, linked with the Wolves job recently, has kept a low profile since leaving the Riverside Stadium in March.

Karanka has not been put off by the way his time in charge on Teesside came to an end and is desperate for another crack at frontline management.

He said: “I need to make the right step because when I went to Middlesbrough I thought that it was the perfect first step for me.

“Time has shown me that I did the right thing and now I’m not in a rush, I need to take the right step and let’s see what the next step is but I would like to be here (in England).”

Gibson is highly unlikely to turn back to Karanka, but the former Real Madrid defender was asked if he would consider a return when he appeared on Sky Sports’ Goals on Sunday this morning.

He said: “Of course, I have said that for me it wasn’t just a football experience it was a family experience and a life experience. We are living there and the support, how good the people are with us in the street, it means that it’s been more than a normal experience.”

He added: “I don’t have regrets because I learned a lot. We went from being in danger of being relegated to League One to competing with some of the best teams in the world. So I can’t have regrets.

“I hope they can come back because everyone deserves to be in the Premier League. When we got promoted, the first thing they said was that Middlesbrough belong in the Premier League and I hope they can come back because the chairman and the club deserves it.”