PAOLO Di Canio has told his out of contract players they will have to wait until April to have their County Ground futures resolved, as the Italian urges his squad to concentrate on their League One promotion challenge.

Captain Alan McCormack, Simon Ferry, Nathan Thompson, Aden Flint, Joe Devera, Raffa De Vita and Tommy Miller are all inside the last six months of their current deals, while youngsters Miles Storey and Leigh Bedwell are coming to the end of their first professional contracts.

Di Canio doesn’t want to lose his star performers, but has urged his players to be patient at a time when they are gunning for promotion and the club is in the process of being taken over.

“I told them about the situation because this is not the moment, I want them to concentrate although we can mention,” he said.

“Nathan Thompson, Simon Ferry, I know the situation, I saw the interviews. I told them they are good lads, but we can’t talk about this until April because the new owners are to arrive at the County Ground.

“We don’t know what is going on, and even if we sort out everything we can’t lose time and energy to sit down and negotiate again, because we have to focus our attention on the games.”

The Italian has also told his players the best way to cast their contract worries aside is to concentrate on performing on the pitch, and if they do, they will get their rewards.

“Even if Paolo Di Canio goes mad and doesn’t want to keep them here, if we win and they are protagonists they have a better chance of going somewhere else, a better place and get better money and more long a contract,” he said.

“So it can be worse, even if Simon has a kid, but I don’t think he is going to have a problem if I don’t keep him here, although obviously I want to keep him all life for the player he is and the professional he is.”

“I convince them in this manner, ‘if it depends on me I give three years contract to everybody in this moment because you all deserve it, a stable situation for the future and focus only on the game and be professional.’

“I say, ‘you have to be intelligent, it is not the moment. You have the potential to stay close there and confirm you are winners. Show you can play regularly at this level at nearly the top, and if I keep you are going to be happy. Maybe it is better for you to have the chance to move on, I say, thank you we receive an offer from the Championship for three years’. 

“This is the best situation for them, especially the youngest.”

“No discussion about contracts until April."