John Askey comments on Nicky Featherstone's Hartlepool United future following pre-season win over Middlesbrough

The now former Hartlepool United captain is a free agent after his contract at the Suit Direct Stadium expired earlier this month.

Featherstone sits eighth in the club’s all-time appearance list with 380 appearances having featured 39 times last season.

The 34-year-old had suggested, following the club’s relegation back to the National League, he would be keen to remain with the club into what would be a 10th season as Pools look to bounce straight back to the Football League.

But having gone a number of weeks beyond his contract expiring, with Pools having now also contested their first pre-season friendly, Featherstone is yet to sign back on with the club, with his future now looking to be over with Hartlepool.

"It’s a funny one with Nicky,” Askey revealed to BBC Radio Tees following a 2-1 win over Middlesbrough.

"We offered something and his agent didn’t come back to us so then in-between, obviously, we signed Kieran [Wallace].

"So whether we can do anything now [with Nicky] we’ll just have to wait and see.”

Pools began their pre-season schedule without Featherstone by securing victory over Michael Carrick’s Boro.

New signing Wallace joined Callum Cooke and a trialist in midfield as Askey’s side earned an impressive 2-1 win over the Championship team, with goals from another new signing, Emmanuel Dieseruvwe, and named captain David Ferguson.

But should this be the end for Featherstone, he is likely to be a big miss for a football club he has given so much to over the last nine years – former Hartlepool captain, and club legend, Gary Liddle having also recently expressed what would be his disappointment if Featherstone does not return this summer.

"I’d be disappointed if he went, but I also understand if he wanted to move on as well. So we’ll just have to see what happens," he told The Mail.

"He’s a massive part of the club, not only on the football field but he does a lot of work in and around that dressing room as well.

“If he was to walk away from the football club, for one reason or another, he would be a massive miss.”