Josh Emmanuel update provided after Doncaster Rovers defender sits out second straight fixture

Whenever a player misses out on a matchday squad McCann will point to the sheer strength in depth at his disposal as a reason behind their absence/s. The paucity of injuries only increases the competition at McCann's disposal. That was the case again for the home win over Fleetwood yesterday. For the second game running defender Josh Emmanuel was absent from the 18-man squad. Emmanuel had impressed in three straight league starts last month before suddenly being omitted for games with Colchester and then the Cod Army.

Given the fact the 27-year-old is only on a contract described by Rovers as "short-term" some supporters had put two and two together and mooted that he may well have departed the club. But when asked by the Free Press, McCann provided some clarity on the situation.

"Yeah, Josh is still here," he said. "We've just got a strong group. I never put three defenders on the bench and very rarely do we put two on although we have done in the last couple of weeks.

"We've got Josh, Jack Senior, Zain Westbrooke, Jordan Gibson will be back for Port Vale (all not in squad versus Fleetwood). We've also got Louis Jones and Bobby Faulkner back available for us so that's it really."

It remains unclear how long exactly Emmanuel is contracted until, but McCann revealed to this publication last month that talks over extending the agreement are being looked at.

"He's on a short-term contract so that's something we'll look to speak to Josh and his agent about," McCann said before Christmas. "I think he enjoys it here and he's reaping the rewards."