To that end, he will hope for progress too on contract talks with striker Michael Owen and defender Steven Taylor, who each have a year left on their current deals.
Discussions with Owen are due to resume later this month, while the club is yet to reach agreement with England Under-21 skipper Taylor, something former star Steve Howey has urged them to do as a matter of urgency.
Howey said: "Steven can only get better, really.
"There have been a few times when he has been caught out but, all in all, I think he has done well when he has played.
"For me, he has been unfortunate with some of the players he has had to play alongside - people like Jean-Alain Boumsong, for one - but he needs to be trusted if he is to progress."