In each of the last three summers, Howson has extended his Boro contract by another 12 months. His current deal is due to expire in June, and while a fair deal of uncertainty surrounds the skipper’s future, that is hardly an unusual situation at this time of year. There rarely seems to be a rush to resolve Howson’s contractual position.
Even so, after a season in which the midfielder-cum-centre-half spent lengthy periods on the sidelines, only to return in a blaze of glory in the last month or so to remind everyone of what he is still able to offer, this feels like a summer where the calculations are more complicated than they have been in the past.
Will Michael Carrick and the rest of the Boro hierarchy still feel that Howson is capable of doing the job they need him to for another year given that he will turn 37 in the middle of next month? No longer a guaranteed starter if Carrick is able to select from a full-strength squad, will Howson feel this is the right time to call things a day?
The search for clues was in full throe at the weekend as Howson and his family paraded around the Riverside pitch with the rest of Boro’s players after the final home game of the season. Was the wave in front of the South Stand more emotional and heartfelt than usual? Was it a final goodbye rather than a baleful recognition of a campaign that appears destined to end in disappointment, for all that Saturday’s trip to Coventry offers the possibility of a last-gasp scramble into the play-offs?
“It’s not the time to discuss the futures of individuals,” said Carrick, when asked about Howson’s situation in the wake of Saturday’s scenes. “It’s not easy when you have a result like that [to do the lap of appreciation]. But particularly for the lads with young families, like Jonny, I think it’s still important for them to feel that on the pitch and show their appreciation.”
Carrick clearly still values Howson’s qualities. Since being switched to the heart of the back four ten games ago, there is a very strong argument that the veteran has been Boro’s best player. He’s been keeping Dael Fry and George Edmundson out of the team, with his leadership qualities shining through in a group that is lacking in similarly strong characters.
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Yet the last month shouldn’t completely eclipse the rest of the season, which has been one of the most disappointing and disrupted of Howson’s career. Prior to leaving the bench to replace Fry in March’s defeat at Swansea, Howson had started just five of Boro’s 35 Championship matches.
For the first time, it felt as though his body was perhaps catching up with him with a hamstring injury sustained in the second game of the season being followed by a series of niggling setbacks that preceded a major calf problem that sidelined him for three months. Can Boro afford to hand a new contract to a player who is beginning to show the effects of a 750-game senior career?
“We’ll discuss it at the right time and let you know what’s going on,” said Carrick, when pressed on the issue at the weekend. “At this moment in time, it’s not about individuals.”
Fair enough, but Howson will have his own view, and as a proud professional, he is unlikely to want to hang around as a bit-part presence. In the last ten matches, he has shown that his quality endures. But he will also acknowledge the way in which his body has creaked this season and the challenges he has had to overcome to recover from the injury issues that have plagued his campaign.
On a number of occasions in the past, Howson has said he will know when the time is right to leave Boro. Only he knows whether, deep down, he remains convinced he can play regularly at Championship level for another 12 months. If he feels he can, he won’t want to do it with anyone else than Boro. If his belief is wavering, he will want to be the master of his own destiny.
“I still have that disappointment about being injured, which is good,” said Howson, when discussing his future last month. “I can’t be too selfish and can’t complain too much, because in comparison to some, I’ve been fortunate throughout my career.
“On the other hand, I’m glad I still feel that frustration and disappointment and drive to get back playing. If that did go, it would probably answer quite a lot.”
Howson will have been constantly reassessing his options this season, just as Boro’s recruitment team will have been constantly redrawing their own plans for next term. Clearly, what league the club are playing in will have a massive impact on all kinds of decisions. When it comes to Howson, though, the choice is pretty simple. One more year? Or was Saturday a Riverside swansong? Soon, all will become clear.
