MARK SCHWARZER has admitted his future may lie away from Middlesbrough when his contract expires at the end of the season.

The Australian goalkeeper is being courted by Manchester United and Arsenal and will have another chance to prove his worth at Old Trafford tomorrow afternoon.

Schwarzer, who signed for £1.5m from Bradford in 1997, is widely regarded as one of the best in the Premiership but has so far failed to agree a new deal at the Riverside Stadium.

That means in January the 31-year-old, who celebrates his 32nd birthday next week, will be free to talk to interested clubs about a Bosman free transfer in July.

Middlesbrough are keen to keep hold of Schwarzer but so far contract talks have stalled and he revealed it is months since the last discussion took place.

But the Socceroos' No 1 insists the chance to impress United boss Sir Alex Ferguson again tomorrow will not be high on his list of priorities.

"You don't need any extra incentive playing against them," said Schwarzer, who has also been admired by Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger in recent years.

"Old Trafford is a fantastic stadium and you don't need any motivation whatsoever.

"At the moment, my future is up in the air. I have a contract until the end of the season and as things stand, we have not progressed any further.

"We have not had discussions for a number of months but that's football and you just have to get on with it.

"I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. I have a job to do and as long as I'm a Boro player, I'm going to do that job as best I can.

"If you are in a position when things are not progressing, you have to look after your own future, don't you?"

Schwarzer has been one of Middlesbrough's best Premiership performers in recent weeks, as they have slipped to one-goal defeats to Everton and Chelsea in their last two matches.

The draw against Banik Ostrava on Thursday ensured Boro booked their place in the group stage of the UEFA Cup and he hopes that result will have a good effect as they make the trip to Manchester.

Since moving from Bradford seven years ago, Schwarzer has been involved in all three of Middlesbrough's victories at the Theatre of Dreams.

And he hopes it continues tomorrow. He said: "I feel fine and confident. Things have gone well for me and I just hope I can continue and concentrate on the next game which is a real big one.

"We're going to Old Trafford but we have a very good record there. I've been very fortunate in that I have won three times since I've been with Boro.

"It's a massive occasion for me and I always enjoy playing there. It's a great atmosphere and they are one of the best teams in the land.

"You know when things are going well, when you're making decent saves, I feel that everything's going well.

"I look after myself. I'm not old for a keeper and should have three or four years left at the top."

Despite Schwarzer's decent run of form, Middlesbrough have only managed to keep one clean sheet in the league this season - the away win at Fulham.

And tomorrow looks to be another tough test with United buoyed by the scintillating Wayne Rooney debut in midweek, when he scored three in a 6-2 Champions League success over Turkish side Fenerbahce.

Middlesbrough are hoping to have Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink back in the side after missing the trip to the Czech Republic with a hamstring problem, while Gaizka Mendieta is also likely to make his first appearance since August 28.

But regardless of who plays, Schwarzer believes Steve McClaren's men will have to keep the threat of the United attackers at bay if they are to stand a chance of returning to Teesside with a point.

"I don't think Wayne Rooney has scored against me but I don't want to say definitely in case he does this time," he said.

"There's no trepidation coming up against a striker in such hot form.

"We only saw a bit of the footage from Tuesday night but we know he's a quality player in a quality team. I hope he's rested! But you cannot worry about the opposition that much.

"You can't look at him and think will he or won't he play. All you can do is do your best, stop Rooney and United scoring goals and hopefully make some chances ourselves.

"If you worry too much about him, then you've lost the game before you've started.

"If he's rested, you're never disappointed if a top-quality player like Wayne Rooney misses out for whatever reason.

"It's the same when you play against Arsenal and Henry isn't playing and you breathe a huge sigh of relief.

"On the other hand, it's fantastic playing against them, it's the ultimate match-up.

"But Rooney is a very dangerous player. Whenever he gets the ball anywhere around the edge of the box and even anywhere from 35 yards out, he can make things happen."

Middlesbrough are also having fitness checks on Mark Viduka (back), Ugo Ehiogu (calf) and Chris Riggott (hamstring)