Grant McCann on whether Doncaster Rovers will explore European transfers this summer

The club are currently involved in a fiercely-contested promotion battle in League Two. It is one that looks like having all the hallmarks of going right down to the wire.

Whilst that is the immediate priority for McCann, his coaching staff and the players, he and his recruitment team also have half an eye on the summer transfer window. Since returning to the club in the summer of 2023 McCann has aimed to make the club more future-proof and forward-planning when it comes to transfers was a big priority.

Most teams at this level deal exclusively domestically but recent windows have seen some sides delve further afield. Grimsby have signed players from Iceland and the Faroe Islands this season whilst other teams have plucked players from Belgium and Spain, to name but two. McCann says he is not against such a tactic but admits doing due diligence on players without being able to see them in the flesh is a concern.

"We've got connections and contacts everywhere really," McCann told the Free Press.

"But for us it's difficult sometimes because you want to see players live in a game and it's very hard to watch players abroad. We've not got the recruitment model of a Championship team so if you're taking a player from abroad then hopefully you've seen them before. If you have, then great. If you haven't then sometimes it's a bit of a gamble having to go off video clips and stuff like that.

"To be fair even at 44 I think I could put together clips that would make me look good! You've got to be mindful of that. We have cast our net out a bit more into Ireland and into Scotland, so we've got fingers in pies out there.

"So I'm not saying no to it (looking further abroad) it's just that it's difficult with the market we're at at this moment in time just because we've not got the resources to send scouts out to Austria or Slovenia or wherever it may be."

Of course the caveat to looking ahead to any potential summer business is the fact that Rovers do not know which division they'll be playing in next season.

But McCann believes there is already the nucleus of a team in place that is ready for the third tier, should they indeed get there.

"To be honest we plan to bring in players that are good enough for that level (League One) anyway," he added. "All the players we've brought to this club, since I've been here, we've planned for them to be ready for the next step and the next level.

"We believe players within this squad can play at that level."