Evans ready to let under-performing players leave Stags in reshuffle

Mansfield Town boss Steve Evans is ready to move some under-performing members of his squad on before transfer deadline day on Thursday.

He is also hoping to bring two players in and retain two players who are the subject of bids from other clubs.

Evans made 10 changes for tonight’s 3-1 home defeat by Lincoln City in the Checkatrade Trophy and had his thoughts on some players confirmed over the 90 minutes.

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READ THE MATCH REPORTREAD STEVE EVANS’ VIEWS ON THE DEFEAT AND FANS WHO BOOED AT THE END“As always happens, some have shown they are perhaps not going to be ready to come in when we need them,” he said.

“There are two or three in there that are not going to get many minutes, so we need to have a chat in the next couple of days. But that’s normal. That will be the same at most clubs.

“We will be reflective. You’re always more reflective the next day better than the day or evening concerned. We will go away and have a look.

“It won’t be just based on the performance against Lincoln. It will be based on what we’ve seen leading up to this and I think I have said to the chairman this was the final opportunity for some to say I really should be here because I can play a part.”

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Evans said Stags had received bids for two of the current squad and Evans is hoping chairman John Radford backs his recommendation to turn them down.

Evans said: “There are three bids for two players – two for one and one for the other and I have made my recommendation to the chairman that they are trying to turn up in balaclavas and take some good players with what they are offering us!

“My recommendation is we keep them. I pick the team and I pick the players but the chairman and the CEO control the business side so it’s their decision.”

Evans is still hoping to sign an attacking midfield player and a young striker before the window closes.

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“We will try to do one or two bits,” he said. “If we can do them I am sure the football club will do them.

“All I can do is make my recommendations and hope the chairman and CEO support them.

“But we have an outstanding squad of players here, though perhaps three or four are just not on the level where they need to be.

“They are the ones that will be going and if we can replace them with some quality we will try to do it.”

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He added: “We’d still like to do the two and we’ll see what can get done. We are one of several clubs in competition for the midfield player.

“If it doesn’t happen, we are in good shape. Some of the football in the first 25 minutes tonight was excellent - and that was from boys trying to get into the team, not those in the team.”