TONY PULIS will discuss his future with Steve Gibson at the end of the season, with the Middlesbrough boss having hinted he could walk away when his current contract expires.

Pulis signed an 18-month deal when he replaced Garry Monk halfway through last season, and is yet to hold any talks with Gibson over a new contract.

The 61-year-old has come under increased pressure in recent weeks, with Boro having picked up just one point from their last three matches ahead of today’s trip to promotion rivals Aston Villa, although there is not thought to be any chance of him losing his position before the end of the campaign.

It remains to be seen what happens beyond May though, with Pulis having left his family on the south coast when he agreed to move to Teesside.

If Boro were to win promotion to the Premier League, the Boro boss could find it hard to walk away from the Riverside. However, even if he was to find himself presiding over a successful promotion push in the next couple of months, there is no guarantee the veteran Welshman will still be Middlesbrough manager next season.

“Nothing will happen until I speak with Steve,” said Pulis, who will be able to call on the services of Daniel Ayala this afternoon after the defender won his appeal against his dismissal in Wednesday’s defeat to Preston. “As I’ve said before – and I’ve told this to Steve – I don’t want to talk about anything until the season is over. I don’t want to talk and discuss anything like that until hopefully we’re in the Premier League.”

Boro’s future plans will be heavily influenced by what happens in the final two months of the season. If the club are promoted, Gibson is likely to sanction the same kind of spending spree that was overseen by Aitor Karanka three summers ago. However, if the Teessiders miss out on a place in the Premier League, the lack of any more parachute payments means there will have be another significant trimming of a wage bill that remains one of the biggest in the second tier.

Pulis’ refusal to discuss his future at this stage adds another layer of uncertainty, although he is adamant everything will be in place ahead of the start of pre-season no matter who is in the manager’s chair.

“That doesn’t stop anything with our planning,” he said. “We’ve sorted out where we want to go in pre-season, we’ve sorted out our targets for the summer, what we’re looking at, what we’re not looking at. That’s all sorted, and all that’s in place.

“I’m not the type of person who would not do everything that should be done. I’m not that type of person at all. If I leave the club, then the club will be set up in the right way and with the right momentum to push forward. Whichever way things happen, that will be the case

“Obviously, if I stay, the stuff I’ve implemented will suit this football club. If I go, it will still suit the football club. The club is more important than me, more important than anyone. In 25 years’ time, the club will still be here and it will still have the supporters. I won’t be here, but the supporters still will be.”

In terms of the immediate future, Ayala’s availability is a major boost, with an independent FA hearing having overturned referee Keith Stroud’s decision to dismiss the Spaniard three days ago.