Newcastle United head coach John Carver has hinted that Jonas Gutierrez could still earn a new contract with the club.

The Argentine winger, who returned to first-team action last month after getting the all-clear from testicular cancer, will become a free agent at the end of the season.

Gutierrez will activate a new deal if he starts the final seven games of the season, which is thought to be unlikely, but Carver has revealed that no talks have taken place regarding the future of any players.

Carver told reporters: "Everybody's playing for their future. There have been no discussions [about contracts]. The discussions have been about the need to bring in players – we know that.

"I haven't gone into any discussions with regard to this group of players, because we have seven games left."

The 31-year-old could feature when Newcastle travel to Liverpool on Monday evening.