Paul Warne talks to www.themillers.co.uk...
Rotherham United boss Paul Warne has reiterated his desire to add another defensive option to his squad, as the Millers prepare for a weekend without a fixture following the postponement of the Portsmouth fixture scheduled for Saturday.
The lack of a first team game may have been timely for the Millers manager, who has a number of injuries amongst the defensive ranks and has explained that he is keen to add an experienced operator to his rearguard before the closure of the transfer window in the early stages of next month.
“Ideally I would try and bring in a defensive player with a bit of experience that would be ready to walk in and play tomorrow if he was picked and for the next 30 games,” Warne revealed.
“There are a couple of players I'm trying to get in and these are lads I've watched quite a bit, so I know them really well.
“I think that we've been pretty exhaustive in our hunt for ideal additions to the squad.
“As always, you have extensive lists which you go through and then all of a sudden someone else becomes available that you wasn't when you first started looking.”
Warne continued to give an update on the current injury situations of his defenders and admits that had the Portsmouth clash gone ahead on Saturday, he would have had to reshuffle his pack.
“At the moment, three of my full backs are injured. Matt Olosunde has a sore achilles, Billy [Jones] has Plantar fasciitis and Trev's [Clarke] got a bad knee, so we're down to one full back,” he continued.
“If the game was tomorrow, I'd have to play Icky right back but if anything happens to the rest of the back four, I have no defensive cover. It isn't like we have lads like we did last season who can play in more than one position quite as comfortably as Will Vaulks and Semi Ajayi, so we would be snookered.”
Meanwhile, whilst a defensive incoming appears likely, Warne also remains in the market for an attacker that can thrive playing wide for his side, with options on the wing currently limited.
“We have tried to add something as an attacking force and we need some cover at the back, or at least more options,” he said.
“I think we need players who can play out wide and add something different to us. Whether that be someone with ridiculously good delivery or blistering pace.”