Inside EFL club's argument for Leeds United prospect loan with vital boxes ticked
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At a time when it's not just parent clubs but a player and his agent who have to be convinced a move is the right one, so much is taken into consideration. The standard of football, the likelihood of match minutes, the style of play, the management style, the context a league table brings, the suitability of the area and what it offers, the player's living situation and temperament, wage contributions, the size of the loan club's fanbase - the lot. There are so many boxes that have to be ticked.
On the face of it, Rovers tick a number of those without delving too deeply into their situation. They're just down the road for a start. They're going for promotion, rather than fighting relegation. Countless youngsters from Premier League and Championship clubs have taken their bags of ability into the sink-or-swim scenario of an EFL dog fight and struggled to stay afloat. There can be a vastly different atmosphere at a club chasing something more aspirational and, crucially, winning games than one that is scraping together the points needed for survival.
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Hide AdThey play possession-based football with a lot of energy. They're lower midtable for accurate long balls and second to bottom for inaccurate long balls. They sit seventh when it comes to accurate short passes. A ball-playing midfielder, Crew will not get a sore neck watching the ball sail over his head from his keeper to the opposite penalty area.
And there's a real chance that he plays. Grant McCann has a track record, this season even, of giving youngsters a chance. His goalkeeper and a first-choice centre-back are both just 21. He has recruited 20-year-old Manchester United prospect Ethan Ennis and 23-year-old Lincoln City striker Rob Street already this month.
But what boxes do Doncaster Rovers need Crew to tick? We got the inside track on the picture Crew will find if he gets his loan move over the line this week, from Ricky Charlesworth of the Doncaster Free Press.
YEP: What do Rovers need?
RC: "It all depends what kind of midfielder Crew is. If he's someone prepared to get stuck in and provide a nice link between defence and attack then that'll complement the many options Rovers already have in the engine room. McCann has often chopped and changed his team, as is his policy this season, and midfield is no different. Owen Bailey generally always plays so it's often a case of him and two others. It makes it nigh-on impossible for opponents to predict what they're going to be coming up against."
YEP: What's the midfield picture like at Rovers?
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Hide AdRC: "As mentioned, the options at McCann's disposal are plentiful. Each of them have their own speciality, whether it be a box-to-box type, having a non-stop engine or possessing some punchy passes in his locker. Rovers have yet to strike that perfect formula in the midfield three - if indeed they want to do so. Having an air of unpredictability has so far stood them in decent stead, as they sit firmly among a tightly-bunched promotion pack."
YEP: Do you see him getting minutes?
RC: "He'll certainly get minutes. You only have to look at the stats so far to see how McCann shares out minutes to the midfielders. Bailey has started all 25 league matches but the next highest total is Clifton with 15 starts, with Broadbent and Kelly just behind on 13 and 11 respectively. So while he should definitely get a look-in, it's not going to be a case of him being an ever-present."
YEP: And how have young loanees fared under McCann?
RC: "A mixed bag this term. Chelsea goalkeeper Ted Sharman-Lowe has got better and better as the season's gone on, culminating in a superb display in the FA Cup upset win at Hull where he made vital saves including one in the shoot-out. Patrick Kelly has also shone in spells after arriving on a season's loan from West Ham. On the flipside, Ephraim Yeboah's time at Rovers was a complete non-starter as he barely featured before returning to Bristol City this month. Ethan Ennis and Rob Street have only just arrived on loans from Man United and Lincoln respectively so it'll be fascinating to see how their time in South Yorkshire unfolds."
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