Pog confirms new Boro deal talks

Skipper Emanuel Pogatetz has confirmed that he has opened negotiations with Middlesbrough about signing a new contract extension.

The Austrian international has two years remaining on his current deal at the Riverside, but both player and club are delighted with his progress on Teesside and are looking to keep him on board for a lot longer.

Pogatetz, who is currently in Portugal with Gareth Southgate's squad participating in the Algarve Cup where they face Vitoria Guimaraes on Thursday evening, is hopeful of penning the deal in the near future.

He told the Gazette: "We have been talking about it (a contract) for a short period now.

"I have said that I really want to be here as long as possible and there are signals from the club that they want to keep me here, so I think we will reach an agreement. I don't know when, but it looks very good. There's no pressure.

"I still have two more years to go and I'm very confident I can extend my contract and be here as long as possible. There is no rush, we're in talks and that's a good sign. Like I said, the club wants to extend my contract, I want to be here, so I'm sure we will reach agreement at some point."

The 25-year-old, who signed as a left-back from Bayer Leverkusen in summer 2005, has since shone in a central defensive role while moving to full-back when required and won over the fans with his no nonsense style of play, added: "It's special, and also a big point for me that the fans support me really well and that we have a really good relationship, and that's why I said it's very enjoyable for me here.

"We have had some tough times over the last two years but we got through it and now I want to be here when we have success. I'm really excited about the future here.

"I enjoy playing for the club, I always enjoy going to work. It's important for me that my family are settled. I really want to be here. I hope I can achieve some great things with the team - that's my dream."