MO BESIC is hoping Middlesbrough’s “Premier League quality” will be the key to ensuring they return to the top-flight via the play-offs, but will be shelving talk of his own future until the end of the season.

Besic signed a season-long loan when he moved from Everton in January, and having missed the vast majority of the last 12 months through injury, the 25-year-old has successfully reignited his career during his time at the Riverside.

Boro boss Tony Pulis would love to sign him permanently in the summer, but the terms of the midfielder’s loan agreement do not contain a clause that would enable his temporary employers to automatically trigger a full-time deal.

Besic’s situation could be complicated by events at Everton, with a great deal of uncertainty hanging over the future of Sam Allardyce, and the Goodison Park hierarchy may be reluctant to make a decision over the Bosnian’s position until their own managerial questions are answered.

Besic, who joined Everton in a £4.8m move from Hungarian side Ferencvaros in the summer of 2014, is enjoying his time on Teesside. However, he will not be discussing his future plans while Boro are still involved in a promotion battle.

“I feel really at home here,” said Besic. “The supporters sing my name, even though I have not been here very long. I am happy here, and I want to give them something back on the pitch.

“I am settled here. I feel really happy to play, and hopefully we will go to the play-offs. I will be very happy if we can go to the Premier League, then I will sit down and talk about my future.

“At the moment, I don’t want to think about that. I just want to keep going in the way that I have been, and hopefully bring Boro back to the Premier League. Then we can talk about what will happen.”

Boro will guarantee a play-off place if they beat promotion rivals Millwall at the Riverside on Saturday, having moved three points clear of the London club when they won at Derby County last weekend.

Provided they make the play-offs, the Teessiders are likely to come up against Cardiff City, Fulham or Aston Villa for a place at Wembley, but while all three prospective semi-final opponents are in good form, Besic insists his side have nothing to fear from any of them.

With the Derby win having followed hot on the heels of a home victory over Bristol City, Boro appear to be peaking at just the right time, and Besic feels the presence of so much top-flight experience is proving a crucial factor with the pressure ratcheting up.

He spent more than three years in the Premier League with Everton, and six members of the team that started last weekend’s win at Pride Park represented Boro when they were playing in the top-flight last season.

“We have very experienced players in our squad, and that is important,” said Besic. “They have already gone up to the Premier League once, and some have even done it a couple of times, and that definitely helps.

“We have a lot of players who can play in the Premier League, and they have shown that. A lot of the team have already played in the Premier League and that is important when you are playing in important games.”

Pulis also boasts extensive experience in both the Premier League and Championship, and while he has only been in his current post for four months, the Boro boss has already solidified the side he inherited from Garry Monk.

The defence looks much more reliable with Ryan Shotton and Daniel Ayala providing a physical presence, while both Adam Clayton and Grant Leadbitter have been instructed to play a shielding role at the base of midfield when they are named in the team.

The strong defensive base has enabled the likes of Besic and Adama Traore to concentrate on attacking, and the result is that Boro have developed a much better balance. They are also digging in when required, with Pulis’ insistence on a strong work ethic paying dividends.

“We have a really strong squad, and the manager has been here for three or four months now so we are all getting a bit closer together,” said Besic. “We have become more of a team now, and you can see that from the way we have been playing.

“We haven’t always played that well in the last few months, but we have always been fighting as a team, and that is the most important thing. You cannot play fantastically in every game, but you can always give your all and fight as a team. It will be important we do that in the games we have left to play.”