Doncaster Rovers: '˜Earn a new deal' '“ Grant McCann's blunt rebuttal on talk of the 23 players out of contract next summer

The manager's comments came after veteran James Coppinger revealed his belief that contractual uncertainty at the club had contributed to patchy form at various stages this season.

A total of 23 senior players will reach the end of their current deals this summer and Coppinger urged the club's hierarchy to act quickly on contracts.

But McCann says the ball is in the players' court when it comes to their futures and whether he will be preparing new deals.

'There's no issues at all,' he said.

'The way I see it is I came into a team that had finished 15th last year, who have a lot of players with one year left on their deals. I've been here four or five months.

'What I would say to them is earn a contract. No one gives you anything in life.

'You don't see me going and knocking on Gavin Baldwin and the chairman's doors asking for a new deal every four or five months.

'People have a chance to earn a contract.

'We know, in-house, who we'd like to give new deals to and I've already put some in place in terms of speaking to them.

'The others have got a wee bit more to do.

'The ones that don't get offered a new contract, they move on and we replace them, the same at any other football club in the country.'

McCann says every player had a point to prove after last season's mid-table finish and the achievements of the current campaign are not yet enough to earn contracts for some.

And he insists he has no issue with players' primary motivation being securing their future employment.

'We've done nothing yet,' he said.

'The team finished 15th last year so, for me, no one deserves a contract for that.

'Secondly, we're in this league and we're seventh or eighth in the league, we've done nothing. We're 20 games in.

'People still have a point to prove and it's never just handed to you on a plate, you've got to work for it.

'If your motivation is to get a new deal then great.

'If your motivation is no one has spoken to you about a new deal then play to get yourself a new club.

'That's the way I always worked when I played '“ I'm doing it for myself, I'm doing it for my family and nothing else.'

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James Coppinger urges Doncaster Rovers hierarchy to end contractual uncertainty