 Woodgate has played in 35 of Boro's 43 games since he joined |
Middlesbrough defender Jonathan Woodgate says he will be fit in time for the start of next season despite having an operation on his knee. The 27-year-old will miss England's games against Brazil and Estonia to have the exploratory operation.
But he told BBC Sport: "It's nothing serious and I've no doubts I'll be fine for the start of next season.
"It started during the Sheffield United home game on New Year's Day and has been troubling me since then."
He added: "I'll have the operation on Monday when the season's finished, but it's only a minor one, nothing to worry about."
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Woodgate will play against Fulham in Boro's last match of the season on Sunday but will not be fit to feature for England.
Manager Gareth Southgate said: "He has had a niggle for the last couple of months, so they are going to take at look at it.
"We will have a clearer picture of what the problem is after Monday."
Having been on loan at the Riverside this season, Woodgate signed a permanent deal with his hometown team last month to wrap up a �7m transfer from Real Madrid.
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