Lee Martin pulls a first half shot wide at Crystal Palace

LEE Martin is keen to commit his future to Ipswich Town.

Blues boss Paul Jewell said recently that he will employ a strict ‘sign or be sold’ policy for those entering the final year of their contracts in order to avoid the ‘will they, won’t they’ debate which surrounded Gareth McAuley, David Norris and Damien Delaney last year and which currently applies to Grant Leadbitter as this season draws to a close.

Martin falls within that bracket having signed a four-year deal when former boss Roy Keane paid around £1.5m to bring him to the club from Manchester United in the summer of 2009.

And the 25-year-old attacking midfielder will welcome some early negotiations after recently hitting the best form of an unsettled career which has seen him loaned out to no fewer than seven different clubs.

“The quicker something gets sorted the better from my point of view, because my career here has only just started really,” said Martin, speaking ahead of tonight’s visit of promotion-chasing Birmingham City to Portman Road.

“I’m finally playing in what I think is my best position, I’m maturing every day and I think I can kick on next season.

“I’m more than happy here and don’t feel the need to go anywhere else. I want some stability, but it depends on whether the manager wants to keep me and whether the owner agrees.”

The midfielder – who came to the attention of Keane under the tutelage of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United’s reserves – added: “It was tough for me under Roy. He spoke to Solskjaer about me, probably to say ‘what have you given me here, he’s crap!’ and I think Solskjaer replied ‘look, you’ve got to play him in the middle – if you play him in that position he’s actually quite good’.

“Anyway, that’s behind us now isn’t it? Now I’m in the middle, that’s my preferred position, but if I have to play out wide at times I’ll play out wide. Sometimes you have put your own performance aside and do a job for the team.”

– See today’s EADT and Ipswich Star for full match preview of Ipswich Town v Birmingham City.