Bristol City boss Derek McInnes has not given up hope of keeping Nicky Maynard at the club after the striker's two goals sank Millwall 2-1.
Maynard, who was a target for West Ham and Leicester over the summer, is out of contract at the end of the season and will be sold in January unless he agrees a new one.
But the 24-year-old underlined his importance to City's revival with a well-taken double at The Den.
"He's out of contract as we all know, and my stance is I'd love to keep him," McInnes said. "His performance was excellent, he carried a threat all game, and ideally we want to keep him.
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As long as he's scoring goals and is happy - and I know he is happy - and as long as he sees progression in the club then hopefully we'll have a better chance of keeping him.
But while he is with us we will try to get the best out of him and enjoy him."
Afterwards, Maynard revealed McInnes has spoken to him about his contract situation. The striker said: "He's just told me not to let it affect the way I play and that's what I've been doing.
As long as I'm scoring goals I'm happy."