FORMER Middlesbrough skipper Paul Ince insists he is ready to play on for one more season.

Ince, 35, signed a one-year deal with Wolves when he was freed by Boro at the end of last season.

But the ex-England midfielder maintains he will be willing to extend his career if Wolves fail to win promotion.

"I wouldn't say I'm going to finish my career here at the end of the season,'' stressed Ince.

"I came on a one-year contract and at the time I couldn't see myself playing beyond that.

"But depending on what happens to the club, I'll have to see. If we went up to the Premiership, then that would definitely be it for me because that's what I came here to achieve.

"If not, then if the club still wanted me and I felt OK, I'd look to stay another year.

"I still love my football and I'm still hungry. A lot of people thought when I came here that it was just to do another year, but that's not the case.

"I came to take this club - a sleeping giant - into the Premiership, and that's still my aim.''

Meanwhile, Boro were yesterday still in talks with Leeds midfielder Seth Johnson over his projected £4m move to the Riverside.

Johnson was expected to undergo a medical before finalising personal terms on a four-and-a-half-year deal.

John Eustace, who joined Boro from Coventry last week on a month's loan with a view to a permanent deal, has played himself into contention for next Tuesday's visit of Aston Villa after impressing in the reserves against Leeds.

Boro's midfield should also be bolstered by the return of George Boateng following a cartilage operation.

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