JOSH McEachran is planning talks with Chelsea officials next month in which he will spell out his desire to remain at Middlesbrough for the second half of the season.

McEachran signed a season-long loan deal in the summer, but the terms of the agreement include a January 'break clause' that enables either Boro or Chelsea to terminate the contract.

Boro boss Tony Mowbray is desperate to keep McEachran on Teesside, but it remains to be seen whether new Chelsea manager Rafael Benitez would rather see the England under-21 international return to west London to compete for a place in the Blues squad.

McEachran has not discussed his future with Benitez or his backroom staff, but is expecting to hold talks in the new year.

And having played a crucial role in Boro's ongoing promotion push, the midfielder is keen to spend the rest of the season in the North-East in order to see things through.

"Hopefully, I'll be staying beyond January and carrying on with Middlesbrough for the rest of the season," said McEachran. "That's definitely my aim.

"I'm not sure exactly what's going to happen yet because it's still to be completely decided. I expect that to happen in January, but I want to stay here and I'll be making sure the people down at Chelsea know that. Hopefully, they'll let that happen."

McEachran's importance to Middlesbrough can be ascertained from his appearance record. The 19-year-old has started every game apart from the opening match of the season, with Tony Mowbray valuing his passing ability and calmness in possession.

Despite his tender years and lack of previous experience in the Championship, McEachran has taken to the division like a duck to water.

He has long been touted as a future linchpin of the Chelsea midfield, and when he does eventually return to Stamford Bridge, the teenager is confident he will be a much more rounded player than when he left.

"I needed to be playing regular football and fortunately I've been able to do that," he said. "The way Middlesbrough play football really suits my game and I think that's been another important factor in helping me settle. Playing week in, week out can only help in terms of developing and improving you as a player.

"I feel like I was able to slip into things pretty much straight away, but a lot of that was down to the rest of the lads and the manager.

"They made me feel really welcome from my very first day and that's definitely helped me settle and allowed me to concentrate on my football. I think I've been a part of things ever since I've come and that's been important."

McEachran was at James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough yesterday helping to distribute gifts on the children's wards.

The annual visit is a long-standing Christmas tradition that kicks off a packed period that often plays a crucial role in determining how things will shape up come the end of the season.

Boro take on Leeds, Blackburn, Blackpool and Derby in the space of 11 days over Christmas and New Year, but with skipper Rhys Williams poised to return from injury over the festive period, McEachran is confident the squad is strong enough to cope.

"It's a busy time coming up, but we've been doing well and are full of confidence," he said. "We got another good result at the weekend and just need to keep pushing on.

"We're third in the league right now so thing are going well, but the challenge is to stay there and the next few games will be important in that.

"We've had a lot of injuries but are still right up there so that says a lot about the strength of the squad. We've still got four or five big players to come back, so once we get them back to full fitness, we'll be even stronger for the second half of the season."I wasn't here last year so I don't know what the squad was like and why the club just missed out on the play-offs, but when I look around the current squad, I'm confident we can be strong right the way to the end of the season."