`IT’S been a perfect start for Boro. Three games, three clean sheets and five goals. Boro fans could not have asked for much more and it’s been nice to see Adam Johnson play such an important role.

At the start of the season I said Adam could become the king-pin for us this season and that’s exactly how it has started. He has the ability, he is direct, he scores goals.

The only negative things I can say about Adam at the moment are that he could lift his head up more when he has the ball and that he is out of contract next summer.

I have heard this week that Boro are trying to tie him down to a new deal, but I have to be brutally honest and say he doesn’t need to sign any contract until next summer. Why should he?

Adam is in a perfect position from an individual point of view.

It might not be very good for the club, but if I was Adam’s agent, parents, best friend, I’d be telling him to hold tight.

Over the last few years Boro have had the opportunity to tie him down to a new deal and they haven’t done it.

Adam is now in the shop window. He is likely to be playing every week, scoring goals, doing well, and there will be plenty of interest in him. He might have knocked back contract offers from Boro, but from a player’s point of view now is not the time to sign a new one.

Adam has the potential to score as many goals as Stewart Downing did a couple of seasons ago when he got into double figures.

We all know what Stewy was like for Boro.

He was the best player at the club for a couple of seasons, he was brilliant.

Adam can quite easily slot into that role. He is that good, he just needs to keep going as he is.

The goals he has scored so far – particularly that stunning goal at Scunthorpe on Tuesday – showed just what sort of player he can become and what he is capable of.

It is also nice to see the rest of the team playing so well.

I’m a realist, though, and there will be players leaving before the end of the month.

It’s a long season and the winter nights will soon draw in.

Gareth Southgate still needs to bring in a couple of players to cope with the hectic Championship schedule and that will determine whether or not we can stay up towards the top this season.

He still needs a striker.

I would like to see either of Newcastle’s Shola Ameobi or Andy Carroll come to us, or at least someone like those.

Either would change Boro for the better. They will take the heat out of the attacks, take the knocks from defenders that would allow Leroy Lita or Marvin Emnes to make the most of the space.

When I was playing I had Archie Stephens, Iain Baird and Paul Wilkinson alongside me in attack, taking all of the knocks to allow me more time and space. Boro need someone like that to add a different option.

■ Bernie Slaven was speaking to Paul Fraser

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