Danny Schofield reveals his future plan for Tommy Rowe at Doncaster Rovers

Rowe, who is available for selection for Saturday’s visit of Hartlepool United, was used in a back three upon his brief return to the side in December following two months out with a hamstring injury.

The versatile 34-year-old has been unavailable since suffering a back spasm in training on Christmas Day but successfully completed 45 minutes against Bolton Wanders’ B Team in a behind-closed-doors friendly on Tuesday.

Discussing his comeback, Doncaster boss Schofield said: “Is he going to play as a centre-back? Probably not. It’s just good to have him back on the training pitch again in terms of his professionalism and how vocal he is, and how he drives other players.

"It’s almost like having another coach on the pitch.”

The arrival of left-sided centre-back Ben Nelson on loan from Premier League side Leicester City has provided Schofield with a more natural option at the heart of defence.

Adam Long is also left-footed but he is currently out of favour and injured.

Rowe, who has been restricted to just 10 games this term due to injury, could still be used as a left wing-back, however, after Rovers opted not to sign anyone to provide competition for James Maxwell last month.

Schofield said: It’s good to have Tommy back and my aim and focus is to make sure he’s available for the last 20 games.”

An individualised training plan may be needed to achieve that, Schofield admitted.

He said: “Tommy knows his body better than anybody else, so he can discuss that with me.

"When he came back from his last injury we put him straight in and he played back-to-back 90-minute games. He’s a professional, he looks after himself really well, so he’s good to go.

"It’s just the recovery process and training in between games which me and him are focused on.”

Rowe may not be thrown straight back into action this weekend but one player who could be heavily involved is defender Joseph Olowu.

The centre-back returned to the matchday squad against Mansfield Town last week after recovering from a facial injury.

Schofield said: “He played 45 minutes against Bolton and probably could have played more.

"If he’s selected he could play 90 minutes.”