Jamie Proctor will lead Rotherham United out of the tunnel on Sunday...
Rotherham United manager Paul Warne has handed injured striker Jamie Proctor the opportunity to lead his Millers teammates out of the tunnel at Wembley on Sunday, ahead of the Play-off Final showdown with Shrewsbury Town.
Proctor, whose season was curtailed by an ACL injury sustained back in August, has worked tirelessly behind the scenes to return to fitness in time for a chance to feature at the national stadium for the Millers but his efforts proved in vein when a setback in training prolonged his recovery.
However, the 26-year-old forward will now have the chance to join his teammates at the national stadium, after Warne made the decision to make the necessary arrangements for Proctor to step out onto the hallowed turf ahead as a reward for his efforts, a lot of which his manager believes have gone unseen this season.
“I think he thoroughly deserves it. He's not doing it because I've asked him to do it, he's considering it and I think he will,” Warne told www.themillers.co.uk.
“I just think it sums up what we're all about here. Everyone is important and they are. Everyone is treated like a human being and I just think that his season has been so badly blighted and we see him in the gym at 7:30am every morning and it breaks us a little bit.
“I want him to feel involved and I want him to enjoy his summer break to come back and have a great season next year and I want him to know that we all care about him because that's definitely the case.”
The Millers boss has hailed Proctor’s attitude and presence around the training ground and first team stadium since sustaining the injury against Charlton and was quick to praise his industrious and positive approach to life at Rotherham United, in what has been a tough season for the frontman.
“People don't see that,” Warne continued.
“He's trained as hard as everybody else and it's so hard to come back after a serious operation. At one stage we thought we were going to get him back before the end of the season but unfortunately the weeks ran away from us. We're hopeful he'll be fighting fit for pre-season.
“If he can go to Wembley with his family and that can be a good memory for him, whilst it might not be the memory he wants, then we're all pleased for him to do it.”
Proctor starred for the Millers in the early stages of the 2017/18 campaign having signed for the club in the summer, with highlights coming in the EFL Cup showings against Huddersfield Town and Lincoln City, leaving Warne reiterating his contribution both on and off the field has been integral.
“He was in such good form as well. His attitude has been spot and he had a little bit of a setback, so I wanted him to feel involved because he's as important as everybody else here,” he added.
“He's just a really good lad. I signed him because he was a good footballer but I like to surround myself with people who I believe are similar personalities to myself. He's got an amazing work ethic and I still harp on about his performance at Huddersfield, where I thought he was outstanding.”