David Artell is hopeful that youngster Callum Ainley will put pen-to-paper on a new contract sooner rather than later.

The Crewe boss says that talks are progressing with the representative of the 23-year-old and he remains optimistic that everything will be resolved shortly.

The talented Academy graduate endured an injury plagued season after he suffered a severe hamstring injury away at Cheltenham in the FA Cup but he did return to finish the season strongly and he hit the winner in our final away game at Bristol Rovers.

Artell told the club’s official website: “Talks with Callum’s agent are progressing and hopefully it will be resolved shortly.

“His agent is a good guy. He is no fool and I have a lot of respect for him. Callum knows how much we value him here and how he is an integral part of the team.

“He didn’t play as much as he would have liked last season but his injury had a lot to do with that but hopefully we will have more of an impact this season. We all know what a talent he is and I am glad that he came out at the end of the season and said that he was happy to stay here.

The boss added: “But like all these things, they are never straight forward and he wants it to be right for himself, his family and his agent.”