JONATHAN WOODGATE is confident the six remaining Middlesbrough players approaching the end of their contract will agree to play beyond the end of June, but the Boro boss admits the sextet are yet to sign the short-term waivers that would guarantee their involvement in the rest of the season.

Daniel Ayala’s Middlesbrough career is effectively over after he refused to play beyond the end of his contract on June 30, with Woodgate confirming the Spaniard will not be considered for tomorrow’s return to action against Swansea City or the following weekend’s trip to Stoke.

However, none of the six remaining players who are due to become free agents at the end of month – George Friend, Ryan Shotton, Jonny Howson, Adam Clayton, Marvin Johnson and Rudy Gestede – have followed Ayala’s lead by declaring themselves unwilling to play in July.

Negotiations over a short-term extension to their current contracts continue, but Woodgate expects all six to be involved in the squad to face Swansea this weekend.

“I’ll have all of them in the squad, that’s 100 per cent,” said Boro’s head coach. “And hopefully I’ll have them all for all of the games. That’s how I’m looking at it at the minute, although I’ve got two games (before their contracts expire), that’s the thing.

“They have to sign a letter (to extend their contracts) and that’s it. You don’t have to offer them another contract. Have any of them said they’re unwilling to play beyond June? Not at the minute. It could change, you never know, but at the minute, no.”

That will be a considerable relief as the sextet include some of Boro’s most important players. Shotton, Howson, Clayton, Johnson and Gestede all started the final game before lockdown at Charlton Athletic, while Friend is available again following a lengthy injury lay-off.

Woodgate has been delighted with their response to the unique situation in which they find themselves, citing Clayton’s attitude in particular as an example for others to follow.

“When I asked Clayts what he wanted to do, he said, ‘I’m playing, 100 per cent I’m playing. If I don’t get a contract here, I’ll back myself to get a contract somewhere else. But I’ll back myself to play well and get a contract here’,” said Woodgate.

“That’s the type of person that I want. Listen, different players have different scenarios and different agendas going on, but the response from Clayts was brilliant.”

The contrast to Ayala’s approach is marked, with the Spanish centre-half having effectively called time on his Boro career by refusing to play beyond the end of his current deal.

Ayala’s ongoing ankle problem meant he would not have been available for either tomorrow’s game with Swansea or the trip to Stoke, so after he informed Woodgate of his refusal to play in July, he was told to no longer report to the training ground.

Woodgate insists there has been no major falling-out, but confirmed that the Spanish centre-half had rejected Boro’s offer of a new contract in the autumn.

“Dani hasn’t been a problem or a hindrance or anything like that,” he said. “We offered Dani a contract in October, November time, but he didn’t want to sign it. I’ve got no problem with that at all.

“Dani has been injured now for getting on six months. He trained with the team for the first few days when we were social distancing, and then he trained for one session with the team and his ankle got sore.

“Dani said to me that he would be available to play in June, but he wouldn’t play in July. That is the whole truth of the matter.

“Different players make different decisions, I can’t speak for them. They’ve all got different things they’re thinking about, and whatever decisions they make, I respect those decisions.”

Ayala has spent the last six-and-a-half years with Boro, but he will head elsewhere later this summer, with Leeds United having been strongly linked with a deal.

“At the minute, Dani is not fit enough to be involved,” added Woodgate. “He still has pain in his ankle, and that pain has been there since January time now. It’s been there since he first did it against Preston (on New Year’s Day).

“He’s tried to come back, but he’s only trained once fully with the group. He trained the days when we were social distancing, but since we’ve been back with the group, he’s not really trained. He’s not fit enough to play in June, and he’s not going to play in July.”

Ayala’s absence limits Woodgate’s options at centre-half, but the Boro boss is confident he will be able to cope.

“Dani’s a really good footballer and we will miss him,” he said. “But I’ve got other players to step in – Harold Moukoudi, Ryan Shotton and Dael Fry.”