Ross Turnbull and Brad Jones, the Middlesbrough goalkeepers, will be offered extended deals within the next month. The pair have been vying for the starting berth at the Riverside Stadium this season after Mark Schwarzer's departure to Fulham in May - with Turnbull, 23, the man in possession - but both are out of contract next summer.

“I am comfortable with the situation at the moment, but it's something I'll be looking at over the next few weeks,” Gareth Southgate, the Middlesbrough manager, said. “We are giving both an opportunity, but they have to earn a new contract. Ross is still relatively young in goalkeeper terms but he has told me that he wants to stay here in the long term.”

Southgate surprised many when he decided not to sign an experienced replacement for Schwarzer, who made 367 league appearances for the club in an 11-year stay, but he believes that Turnbull and Jones, the Australia player, have the talent to establish themselves as worthy successors.

Gerry Francis, 56, will not be joining Newcastle United's coaching staff. The former Tottenham Hotspur manager was approached by Joe Kinnear, the interim manager at St James' Park, about working with the club's young players on a part-time basis, but Francis is contracted to Stoke City and has media commitments.

Kinnear has, however, received a boost from Jonás Gutiérrez, who is on the verge of returning from injury. The Argentina winger damaged a shoulder on international duty last month, but he and Habib Beye, the full back, should be available for Newcastle's home match against Manchester City on October 20.