Daniel Ayala has admitted it was tough to be without a club for so long having joined Rotherham United last week.

The Spaniard left Rovers at the end of his contract in the summer and was surprisingly still unattached until last week. Ayala was a popular figure at Ewood Park but his wages and injury record made Rovers opt against renewing his deal.

However, the 32-year-old wasn't expected to be short of suitors. He initially trained with Rotherham earlier in the summer but a deal never materialised. He then went on to join Joey Barton's Bristol Rovers for training.

An injury crisis at the Millers meant the EFL granted them special dispensation to dip into the free agent market and Ayala was rewarded for his patience. He's signed a short-term deal until the end of the season and revealed it was always his aim to stay in the second tier.

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“The first thing is, I wanted to stay in the Championship,” Ayala told The Rotherham Advertiser after signing. "I'm really happy that Rotherham came in. It's been hard to be without a team and to train on my own. I will give 100 per cent for the team.”

Matt Taylor admitted Rotherham will have to manage Ayala's fitness given his age and injury record but jumped at the chance to add his leadership qualities and Championship experience to his squad.

“We have to find a way of getting him up to speed while keeping him available,” Taylor said. “There's a certain stage in his career that he's at. We've got to use him wisely.

"Daniel has size, stature, quality and leadership attributes. He also played a lot of Championship football last season for Blackburn (26 matches). He's had a stellar career. Hopefully, there's still enough life inside him to make this move viable.”

Ayala made 58 appearances in total at Ewood Park, with 26 of those coming under Jon Dahl Tomasson. That was the most he has featured for Rovers, having played 22 and 10 times in the previous two years.