Interim Crewe Alexandra manager Alex Morris says he would ‘love to keep Tom Lowery at the Football Club for as long as possible’ - but that ambition looks ‘highly unlikely’ with the 24-year-old’s contract set to expire this summer.

Morris, who has coached Lowery since he first arrived at the club as a nine year-old is a huge admirer of the club’s Players’ Player of the Year, and would have relished the chance to have built his midfield around the Academy graduate if circumstances had been different.

The Holmes Chapel based Lowery is set to make his final appearance for the club at Lincoln on Saturday and if his wonderful strike against Ipswich at the weekend was his final farewell to the Mornflake Stadium, it was some way to sign off.

Morris told the club’s official website: “I would love to keep Tom at the Football Club for as long as possible, but realistically that is highly unlikely to happen now. I don’t think that will come as a surprise to anyone at this stage and if Saturday at Lincoln is his final game for us, then I don’t think he owes us anything and we don’t owe him anything.  I think we have both been great for each other.

“I think even Tom would admit that due to his stature, he may not have had the opportunities that he had here coming through elsewhere. We always had incredible belief that on the technical side he would be exceptional – but what Tom has done and continues to do, is work hard on his physicality to be the best he can be.

“He has worked hard to become as durable and robust as he is, to survive in the middle in the pitch. I have coached him ever since he came into the building aged 9 or 10 and he has been a great servant for the club and what a way to sign off at home with that great strike on Saturday.

He added: “Tom is really popular guy with his peers and the staff and if he walks out for the final time against Lincoln on Saturday, then it will be a sad day.”