Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Glenn Hoddle has given his clearest indication yet that he might extend his six-month stay at the club into a second season.

Hoddle, who arrived at Molineux in December, is riding the crest of a wave of optimism after guiding Wanderers to an 18-match unbeaten run which has seen his stock rise in the eyes of the club's fans and its management.

While he remains extremely cautious in making an outright commitment - his every utterance is being forensically examined for hidden meanings - his latest comments do seem to offer encouragement for those who want him to remain in the Black Country.

Hoddle said: "There's no reason at this moment that I can see why we cannot get a positive conclusion. Any suggestion that I am hanging on for other options is ludicrous."

He added that there could even be a decision before Sunday's final match of the season against Sheffield United.

Hoddle expects to have thrashed out the details of a way forward with the Wolves hierarchy "by the middle of this week."

That will leave only personal terms to be agreed which the former England manager does not anticipate causing too much trouble. "I'm sure that won't be a problem," he said.

But the intervening days will be spent hammering out issues behind the scenes to ensure that Wolves' ambition tallies with Hoddle's own lofty aspirations.

He said: "I need to know answers to key questions and, hopefully, that will be the case by the middle of this week. There's a few issues that we have already cleared away. Then we can talk about the group of people I want around me and the contracts."

Hoddle, whose team gave one of their best performances of his reign in defeating Reading 2-1 last Saturday, responded warmly to the reception of the Wolves supporters at the Madejski Stadium.

He said: "It was nice to hear them singing my name. Mind you, I was worried because the last time they did that, Coventry equalised! But maybe an 18-game unbeaten run has given them a little bit of a nudge."

On a slightly less positive note, two of Wolves' injured strikers have had their returns to action delayed by further fitness worries.

George Ndah and Vio Ganea were due to play for the reserves last night but withdrew in the afternoon with respective thigh and kidney problems. Both are expected to return for Friday night's reserve match against Middlesbrough.