Tony Mowbray hopes Ryan Nyambe and Darragh Lenihan will both extend their contracts to stay on at the club.

The Lancashire Telegraph revealed yesterday that Nyambe’s representatives have re-engaged with the club over talks of a new deal, having previously looked set to leave at the end of the season.

The club are also locked in talks with Lenihan’s agent over committing his future to the club, with his deal up this summer.

While Mowbray himself will take charge of his final game at Birmingham City tomorrow, he hopes it is not the end for Academy graduates Nyambe and Lenihan who have played over 450 games for the club.

Joe Rothwell is certain to move on, with Bradley Johnson and Jacob Davenport also expected to leave, but Mowbray hopes Lenihan and Nyambe will remain to form a core of the squad moving forward.

He said: “I hope they both stay at this football club, but they’ll have opportunities and suitors elsewhere.

“I’m not sure, maybe they’ll wait and see who the next coach is?

“But I hope they continue the journey.

“Lenihan has been amazing this season, I think he’s really grown into the captaincy and had fantastic leadership and performances this season.

“I think Ryan has wonderful attributes, big areas where he has to develop and grow, but amazing attributes as well.”

The pair will be available on free transfers should they opt to move on, but there has been a growing feeling of a positive outcome of late.

Lenihan’s leadership has been praised throughout the season by Mowbray, after taking over the captaincy following the departure of Elliott Bennett last summer.

Nyambe meanwhile has been a regular under Mowbray, and while he feels the Namibian has room for improvement, he believes he would be best served to stay.

He added: “Is he leaving, is he going? He’s out of contract. I feel for him, I love him to bits, I’ve been with him for over five years, he’s like a son.

“What are you doing? I feel as though he needs to stay, and grow, and learn, be better at bending that ball down the line, at chipping it to the back stick, getting to the byline and cutting it back for the striker to tap it in, I just hope he’s making the right choices.

“There’s a sadness that I won’t be here to help, but I hope they make the right appointment and the club keep moving in the right direction.”

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