Chester FC defender Ryan Astles says he will make a decision on his future in the coming weeks.
The 24-year-old centre back, who has been a mainstay of the Blues defence since arriving at the club back in January 2016 from Northwich Victoria, has been offered a new deal at the Blues but has attracted interest from elsewhere, with Southport one club linked with the player.
Astles, who has made 112 appearances in total for Chester - 42 of them this season - has been one of the Blues' most consistent performers in what has been a dismal season for Chester, resulting in their relegation to the National League North.
And while coy on where his future lies, Astles stated the new manager and his direction for the club could play a part.
"I've not thought too much about it to be honest but I need to sit down and think about what comes next for me over the next few weeks," said Astles.
"There is a new manager to come in and it will be interesting to see who that is and what their plans are. I've not made any decision on my future yet."
It has been a season of turmoil on and off the field at the Blues.
Chester sacked Jon McCarthy in September after a bad start to the season and Marcus Bignot was appointed as his successor and tasked with leading the club to safety. But a financial crisis did that reared its head in January did not help matters and results did not improve on the pitch, resulting in Bignot's sacking earlier this month .
"It's been a nightmare of a season to be honest," said Astles.
"At the start of the season we wanted to try and push to finish in the top half but obviously that never happened and the way things panned out saw us stuck in a relegation battle that we couldn't get out of.
"But we at least managed to end the season on some sort of positive note by winning at Barrow (on Saturday). We've not given the fans many reasons to cheer this season but Saturday was a decent way to finish."
Academy boss Calum McIntyre, 24, took charge for the final three games of the season and his youthful squad impressed in the run-in to offer up some hope for the future, with academy prospects such as Cain Noble and Matty Thomson featuring prominently alongside recent graduates Tom Crawford, Nathan Brown and James Jones.
And Astles believes that McIntyre has a bright future in coaching and management despite his young years.
"Cal has been great since he came in and we have played some of our best stuff in the last three games and played with a lot more freedom, I think that has been pretty evident," said Astles.
"He is only young and he knows he has stuff to learn but he has been first class and the boys have responded well to him and what he has tried to do. He's got a great career as a coach or a manager ahead of him."
