Doncaster Rovers: 'I want to build team around Ben Whiteman' - Darren Moore on skipper's new deal

Whiteman penned a new three-year deal to commit his future to Rovers despite growing interest from clubs higher up the pyramid.

And Moore hopes the midfielder will be a major part of his team for a long time to come.

"You'd say that along with one or two others," Moore told the Free Press on building the team around Whiteman.

"You'd want to do that in terms of what we're trying to bring here.

"To have him sign is a big part of that."

Moore made a new deal for Whiteman a high priority following his arrival at the club in the summer and is delighted to see it come to fruition.

And now he is keen to help the 23-year-old continue the impressive improvement made over the past few seasons.

"He's been spot on since the summer in terms of his mentality and being focused and showing that strength," Moore said.

"He's also showed those leadership qualities. It's why we made him the team captain. He leads from the front.

"He's been a pleasure to work with.

"There are aspects of his game that we are looking to improve to make him stronger. He's certainly a good player and an influential player for us.

"When you see the team has been playing well you see that he's been playing well because he's the orchestrator, the maestro, the quarterback. "He leads from the front and he's very much engaged with what we're trying to do here."