'Keep in touch' - Grant McCann provides update on Doncaster Rovers' forgotten pair

Both goalkeeper Louis Jones and defender Bobby Faulkner are out on loan over in Ireland, with Waterford and Dundalk respectively.

The pair hopped across the water back in July as they attempted to get some game time having fallen down the pecking order at DN4.

But so far they've each struggled with just ten appearances combined. Waterford are lodged in mid-table whilst Dundalk are rock-bottom and face relegation. The Irish season runs until November 1.

Whilst Jones has made a couple of high-profile gaffes that have led to him being benched, Faulkner's temporary club have been going through a protracted takeover. It's safe to say neither player's loan stint has gone to plan so far.

"Hopefully Bobby can help Dundalk stay up," McCann told the Free Press when asked about the pair's situation.

"As for Louis, he has played some games but has just recently come out of the team after Waterford's number one goalkeeper came back to fitness.

"We try and keep in touch with them. I know Kyle (Letheren, goalkeeping coach) keeps in contact with Louis and watches all his games and gives feedback and reports. But ultimately we trust the people who they're with and get feedback from them.

"Bobby's obviously going through different things there with the takeover and the new owners coming in. It was a little bit of a worry for a while. But these are things to learn and grow from.

"It's difficult when you're out on loan and not in the team but all the managers of clubs where our young players are at, they'll look and see how they react. I don't think any of our players have any sort of attitude about them. If they did then we'd have heard about it."

Both players, who are in the final year of their Rovers' contracts, are scheduled to return to Cantley Park in November but as per the terms of their deals they will be unable to play again until January 1. That's hardly ideal for either the players or Rovers, but McCann says they'll manage it best they can.

He added: "We just want to keep making sure they're developing and when they come back to us they've got a month or six weeks or whatever it is to either then be available for us (in January) or to go out elsewhere. We'll get a lot of work into them."