Lee Johnson gives key update on the Bristol City futures of Korey Smith and Ashley Williams

Lee Johnson has revealed that Korey Smith, Ashley Williams and Bristol City’s other players who are out of contract this summer will be able to play for the Robins, should the season run beyond June 30.

Midfielder Smith, centre-back Williams, goalkeeper Niki Maenpaa plus defender Bailey Wright and forward Matty Taylor - with the latter two loaned out to Sunderland and Oxford United - are the first-team players on expiring deals.

Johnson admitted in the week before lockdown that any contract talk has been shelved until the summer but the lack of football due to the Covid-19 pandemic has further complicated the situation.

City returned to training at Failand on Monday but the Championship is unlikely to kick-off again until mid-June, as a best case scenario, and with nine matches remaining, the fixtures will run into July and possibly August, factoring in the play-offs.

As a result, Williams (28 league starts), Smith (11) and Maenpaa (two) would be left in limbo but Johnson has detailed that all three have been promised short-term extensions to finish the campaign, unless they’ve signed a pre-contract agreement elsewhere and want to move on.

“We’re living in a very uncertain world at the moment and you’re going to have various different scenarios based on each individual and it’s going to be tough,” Johnson said, via conference call.

“It’s going to be tough on players who are out of contract but this club have made a vow that anybody that’s here with us, that’s out of contract, will see through the season.

“Unless they’ve been offered a pre-contract by Man United on £100,000-a-week then I expect them to see it through as well, because they can’t play for anybody else.

“Each player will have his own agenda but we’ve made sure of the players that are running out of contract – the likes of Ashley Williams, Korey Smith, Niki Maenpaa – that we’ve stayed in regular contact with them and they all seem very, very happy to see the season out with Bristol City, at least.”

Williams admitted last month he was relaxed over his situation, with the veteran defender turning 36 in August and having two short-term deals at Ashton Gate since arriving on a free transfer last August.

That may well fit into City’s timeline as Johnson admitted that until there are more concrete details as to a date when football returns in front of crowds – opening up revenue streams again – it’s difficult to offer anything beyond the conclusion of the current campaign.

At 35, Maenpaa is in a similar position in terms of his career but will undoubtedly want to play on, whether that be at Bristol City or elsewhere.

Smith is in a slightly different boat as, at 29, he’s still in his prime years as a high-level Championship midfielder and could have offers from outside BS3, but Johnson implied that once some sense of normality returns, the club will look to keep hold of him.

The Robins head coach has hailed Smith's role as the "daddy" of the City midfield, in guiding the younger members of the squad such as Han-Noah Massengo, with Liam Walsh, Joe Morrell and James Morton also likely to be in the first-team picture for next season.

Williams - bar the aberration of his red card against Brentford and an individual mistake, when he misjudged a headed back pass at home to West Brom - has brought experience, solidity and assurance to the defence and dressing room.

“At this point, no, but certainly it’s not something that’s too far from our thought process,” Johnson added.

“At the moment, in the uncertain world that we’re in, in terms of when we’re going to return, and when we’re going to return in front of crowds – because we’re desperate for that to happen – but it’s got to be safe for the nation, not just us as a football club.

“At that point, in terms of the recruitment as a whole, we’ll be in a much better position to know, first and foremost, what league we’ll be in because we’re still fighting for promotion to the Premier League.

“Secondly, we’ll be able to have a good chat with the board to see what we can and can’t do. But certainly these types of players are ones who are good characters and ones that we really respect and want to continue at Bristol City.”