MARK Viduka has dropped the broadest hint yet that he sees his footballing future away from Middlesbrough.

The striker confirmed he is unlikely to seek a new deal at Boro - his current contract expires in 15 months time - and revealed he was close to joining Everton in the January transfer window.

It is equally unlikely Boro will be offering the 30-year-old new terms after another difficult season on Teesside, culminating in a public row with a group of supporters in the wake of last month's 4-0 home defeat to Aston Villa.

He has been a peripheral figure since thenn with Aiyegbeni Yakubu and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink sharing duties in attack, and has admitted his days at the Riverside appear numbered.

With the World Cup offering him the ultimate shop window in the summer, the former Leeds and Celtic man has said it is likely he will seek a new club.

"I was not really looking to move in the January window. When you go then you are always making up time," he said.

"It takes you a couple of months to get settled with your new team-mates.

"With the World Cup coming, I really didn't want to do that."

Viduka insisted reports of a bust-up at Middlesbrough were false, claiming his absence from the Boro team was down to sickness.

"I came to the Chelsea game and knew I was on the bench but I felt a bit sick," he said.

"I saw the doctor in the morning and he told me to go home and rest. Then all these reports came out that I was angry. It just wasn't true."

Viduka is settled in Yorkshire and would prefer to stay in English football

"I would go anywhere but I love England," he said. "Me and my wife have been here since 1998 (including Glasgow). It's a great league. It's probably the best league in the world at the moment for entertainment."

Meanwhile, full-back Stuart Parnaby believes the club are ready to end the season by climbing back into the top half of the table and possibly winning either the UEFA of FA Cups.

After a brief flirtation with the relegation battle, back-to-back wins over Chelsea and West Brom - their first successive successes for 49 league games - have eased the pressure on manager Steve McClaren.

A win over Birmingham on Saturday will lift the Teessiders clear of the drop zone.

Parnaby said: "Birmingham will be a huge game for both clubs and it's up to us to come away with another victory.

"We need to start jumping up that table and I think three points will go a long way to doing that.

"There's a feeling among the lads in the dressing room that we can achieve something special."

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