Midfielder slips off Rotherham United's wanted list ... for now at least

The boss had said at the start of this week that he was aiming to bring in a winger, a 'number 10' and a midfielder to add to the 13 summer signings he has already made.

The quest for a new midfield man might be back on if either of Ollie Rathbone or Hakeem Odoffin don't agree new contracts but, for now, Evans is contenting himself with pursuing his forward targets.

“Listen, if I get three, I've won the Lottery; not just the British Lottery, the American Lottery as well!” he told the Advertiser.

“Our chairman says: ‘Have you got all your toys yet?’ I keep saying: ‘No, we're a couple short.’ We've identified the positions we'd like to be stronger in.”

Meanwhile, the boss has spoken of “a couple of big plusses” as Rotherham gear up for the start of the 2024/25 campaign next Saturday.

He was referring to the impact of new winger Jack Holmes and the form of homegrown attacking talent Ben Hatton. Both appeared in yesterday's 0-0 home draw with Doncaster Rovers in the final pre-season friendly.

“Jack is a huge plus,” Evans said. “I think he's a proper player. Young Ben is someone we've always thought was a prospect. He's matured really nicely over the summer.”

Holmes worked for Hermes before jumping out of Southern League Premier Division Central last month and earning a full-time deal with the Millers.

“Jack is a fairytale story, with him coming through from about step 99 to play for a League One club,” Evans said.

“He's still catching up with fitness and coming to terms with the fact he doesn't deliver parcels as a side-man anymore.”

Holmes played the second half against Doncaster, 24 hours after also being in action at Sheffield Wednesday in a private match.

“He gave the Owls boys problems and he gave the Rovers boys some real problems,” Evans said.

The manager was content with the last workout before next weekend's trip to Exeter City

“For 25 minutes at the start of each half we were exceptional,” he said. “We peppered their box.

“Some things influenced the drop-off in intensity in the first half: 1) the water break for both teams and 2) players like Jonson Clarke-Harris and Shaun McWilliams fighting to catch up with minutes.

“I thought Jamie McCart was man of the match in the first half. He was head and shoulders above anyone else.”