Boss Steve Evans on Rotherham United player exits this summer

A push for the play-offs has failed to materialise in the Scot's first campaign back in charge at AESSEAL New York Stadium after the summer arrival of 14 new faces.

He is already making plans for next term and expects to say farewell to a clutch of players in a busy close season, including some of those he has brought to the club himself.

Following a meeting with Millers owner Tony Stewart last week, Evans believes he will be given time to engineer the same kind of success he enjoyed in his first spell in the hot-seat a decade ago.

“The chairman's brief has been quite clear: just fully, fully assess and understand what we've got,” he said.

“If players have contracts for next season but we don't see those players as part of the plan – of course, their contracts will be honoured and respected – then we'll offer them the chance to move on.

When asked by the Advertiser if some of his own signings were among the people he was prepared to let go, he replied: “Yeah, I think so.

“You sign a player to come in and work to a specific level and do a job. You look to part company if that's not happening.

“I'm not coming up trumps in doing my job. I need to make sure that I get that right. I'll do that by putting the best team on the pitch, one as good as Millers fans expect.”

Permanent summer incomings Jonson Clarke-Harris, Sean Raggett, Joe Rafferty, Reece James, Zak Jules, Shaun McWilliams, Liam Kelly, Cameron Dawson and Joe Powell were all given two-year deals.

Alex MacDonald agreed one-year terms and Jack Holmes was also given a contract of similar length. In the latter's case, Rotherham hold the option of a 12-month extension.

Of the first-team contenders Evans inherited when he succeeded Leam Richardson last April, Jordan Hugill and Sam Nombe have deals running until 2026 and 2027 respectively while Hakeem Odoffin, Cameron Humphreys, Dillon Phillips, Andre Green and Josh Kayode are due to become free agents at the end of June.

The boss knew he had taken on a tough task by returning to New York after the Millers' abject Championship relegation campaign but the true scale of the challenge has turned out to be even greater than he was anticipating.

He has talked in the past of the club being infected by a “culture of failure” and believes events of the past have contributed to the disappointing events of this season.

Evans is backing himself to be the architect of a new dawn with more wheeling and dealing in the next transfer window.

“I think it's fair to say we'll be able to clear the decks more this time than last time and that there'll be no overhang,” he said.