By Peter Kings=10WHILE Orient's Matt Lockwood is sure that he will be returning to first team action soon, he is still unsure that his long term future lays at Brisbane Road.o

s=9Lockwood, who has successfully begun his comeback trail from a life threatening spleen injury is out of contract in the summer and the O's could find themselves losing one of their best assets for free.o

In the past the talented left back has made no secret of his desire to play at a higher level and before he ruptured his spleen against York in August a number of clubs, including First Division Millwall, were reported to be trailing him.

He said: "I have had talks with the club about my future but at the moment I just want to concentrate on getting fit.

"I am now in my third week of training and I played an hour against Crystal Palace in the reserves last week, although I did feel I could have gone on longer.

"I don't think it will be long before I get my first team match fitness back. If I come through two more reserve games I will be knocking on the door trying to get my place back."

Since his injury Lockwood has seen Paul Brush guide the O's back into play-off contention and he admits that if Orient can eclipse last season's play off defeat against Blackpool he could be persuaded to sign a new two year contract.

He said: "It would definitely help me decide whether to sign, because if you were to ask any player they all want to play in the next division up and if Orient could get there then that would be brilliant.

"While I am happy here, it is a case of doing what is best for Matt Lockwood, but I do expect the transfer speculation will resurface when I am back in the first team, I will be disappointed if it doesn't."

However manager Paul Brush clearly sees Lockwood in his plans for the future and he said: "It would be great if I could convince him to stay and it is obviously important for the club that we keep him.

"I knew before I became manager that there was a possibility he could leave, but myself and the chairman both want him to stay.

"I don't think it will be money that will stop him leaving, because we have offered him a very good package to stay and it is just a case on whether he wants to accept it.

"Either way Matt is going to have to make his mind a long time before April because we need to know shortly, both for our plans at present and for the future."