League Two boss shares four-word explanation as Bristol City loanee missing from matchday squad

Grant McCann has provided a blunt four-word response when asked why Bristol City loanee Ephraim Yeboah was left out of Doncaster Rovers' matchday squad for their EFL Trophy clash with Port Vale.

The teenage forward broke into the Robins first team last season under the management of Nigel Pearson but saw his minutes limited when Liam Manning took over from the former Leicester City boss midway through the campaign and left BS3 to join Bath City on loan for the second half of the year.

With minutes set to be hard to come by again this term following the arrivals of both Fally Mayulu and Sinclair Armstrong, the decision was taken to allow Yeboah to depart Ashton Gate on loan, with League Two Doncaster Rovers the side to win the race for the talented youngster's signature.

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Although the 18-year-old arrived with plenty of promise, he has been unable to force his way into Rovers' squad on a consistent basis, only starting one of their 19 games in the league so far. In the EFL trophy, however, Yeboah's form has been a bit more impressive with his only two goals in Doncaster colours coming in that competition.

But the Robins loanee was missing from the squad in its entirety on Tuesday night as McCann's side crashed out of the competition at the hands of Port Vale and the former Hull City boss provided a blunt explanation for his absence after the full-time whistle.

"It was just selection," the 44-year-old told the Doncaster Free Press after the full-time whistle.

While their EFL Trophy hopes have now been dashed, Doncaster Rovers remain in the race to win automatic promotion to League One and currently sit third in League Two, four points adrift of table toppers Walsall and five points clear of eighth-placed Chesterfield.

While McCann was disappointed to see his side miss out on the chance to secure some silverware, the Rovers boss was quick to suggest the cup exit could help his side direct their effort into their promotion push over the coming weeks.

"What it does now is it refocuses us," added McCann. "That competition is gone now. It's disappointing because I wanted us to go as far as possible in it, but that's not happened.

"We've got six games now before the FA Cup game. They're six games we need to put all our focus and drive into."

McCann's side face play-off chasing Wimbledon on Saturday afternoon, with games against Tranmere, Walsall and Colchester United to come over the festive period. It remains to be seen whether or not Yeboah will remain with Doncaster for the second half of the season if his game time remains limited at the Eco-Power Stadium.

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