Doncaster Rovers: Joe Wright ‘can go all the way to the top’

That is the verdict of Rovers boss Grant McCann who says the defender is someone he wants to build his team around after he penned a new two-and-a-half year deal at the club.

"He'll go as far as he wants to go," McCann told the Free Press.

"He's got the tools to play in the Championship at a top club - hopefully with us.

"Who knows, one day he might play in the Premier League.

"He's young enough and he's got all the tools - he can defend, he's quick, he's good at one on ones."

McCann says he was greatly impressed with the performances of Wright prior to the ankle injury which has kept him out since early November.

And though he has been sidelined for almost three months, Wright has been working hard on his improving his game in the meantime and McCann believes he will return a stronger player - both figuratively and literally.

"The key to it is that he wants to defend," McCann said."He loves the contact, getting into the one v one battles.

"When I first came in I asked him who'd caused him the most problems last season. He said Kieffer Moore. I asked him the reason and he said he felt he couldn't get the edge over him.

"That surprised me because I thought he'd say a Jack Marriott.

"What it says is that Joe can deal with centre forwards who can run - now we need to improve him on the physical side of the game, which he's done over the last 12 to 13 weeks that he's been out, in the gym.

"Hopefully when he's back he'll deal with those physical battles.

"He's been working constantly, especially since the new physio has come in and the regime has changed.

"He's been working morning, noon and night - fitness, hard running, double and treble sessions just to make sure we can get him up to speed and fast track him a little bit."

Wright may be involved in the matchday squad for Saturday's FA Cup tie with Oldham Athletic after having a second injection in his ankle on Tuesday.