The reason behind Dan Gore’s Rotherham United absence is revealed as Matt Hamshaw addresses fans' concern

The 21-year-old wasn't named in the squad for the New Year's Day clash with Peterborough United, prompting fears from fans that he had been recalled by parent club Manchester United at the start of the January transfer window.

Hamshaw revealed the reason for the player's absence after a 2-0 defeat at AESSEAL New York Stadium that kept his team in third-bottom spot in League One and extended their losing run to six games.

“It's rumour-mill time of the season, isn't it?” the boss said. “He's got a sore groin.”

Gore has been nursing the issue for a while and exacerbated it by playing more minutes than Hamshaw wanted him to at Blackpool on December 29 when the Millers were reduced to 10 men.

“He was feeling it in the last few games and we thought we could get him through it,” Hamshaw said. ”Then (Jamal) Baptiste gets sent off at Blackpool and Dan and does a bit extra.

“They're the bits that people don't understand. I have to put more bodies on the line, the players do extra work and I've ended up with two injuries off the back of that.

“When things are going against you, they're going against you. And, at this moment, they are going against us.”

The second injury he was referring to concerned centre-half Hamish Douglas who played for 75 minutes at Blackpool before being forced to sit out the Peterborough clash.

Gore watched the Posh match from New York's West Stand and is due to have a scan to determine the extent of his problem.

He has said he is happy to remain with Rotherham for the rest of the season and Manchester United are pleased with his progress in South Yorkshire in his first season in senior football.

Until the Peterborough match, he hadn't missed a single game through injury on his way to racking up 29 appearances and becoming one of the third tier's top performers.