No rift between me and Rose says Mansfield Town manager

Mansfield Town boss David Flitcroft denied suggestions there had been any rift between him and Danny Rose after the club's top scorer asked for a move last week.

Former Stags boss Steve Evans tried to sign Rose for Peterborough United last week but failed to meet Mansfield’s valuation, though the player remains up for grabs.

Speculation then emerged that Flitcroft and Rose were not seeing eye to eye, but Flitcroft insisted he had always got on well with Rose and enjoyed working with him.

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“I am very proud of all the work I’ve done with some top players in this country,” said Flitcroft.

“I look at our history together and me and Danny have done a lot.

“Certainly he helped me get a Championship job at Barnsley, I gave him his debut, and he scored a goal against Burnley that got us to the next level of the cup when we played Man City that year.

“I left and went to Bury and persuaded the chairman to pay a substantial fee for Danny. We had a fantastic time and won promotion together – Danny was outstanding.

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“We went to League One and my remit was to stay in the division. So I got Leon Clarke and Tom Pope in – two absolutely top end goalscorers.

“I had a sensible conversation with Danny about moving on, saying you are not a third choice striker – that’s not you. I sold him to Mansfield and he’s had a fantastic tenure here.

“All last season he played in every game, so I am not too sure where these stories have come from.

“If there are things going on behind the scenes then they are unwarranted. But that sets the record straight on my relationship with Danny.”

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Flitcroft continued: “In Portugal I was getting up at 7am swimming with him then going out in the afternoons cycling with him.

“I wasn’t doing that for another club. I was doing it so Danny was fit to play for Mansfield Town. That was the reason behind it.

“It’s disappointing but it’s part of life and part of media speculation. You can’t argue with facts in black and white and that’s what I like to deal with.

“The rest of the stuff around it is just pontification.”

Flitcroft admitted Rose could still go if someone meets the asking price by Thursday tea time’s deadline.

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He said: “We have stated and reiterated at the chairman’s request that there is a valuation that, as a football club, we have put on Danny. So it’s pretty simple. If that’s met then we can probably do business.

“Danny has obviously stated that he wants to leave the club. After the circus of last week he obviously gave the chairman his request and said he wants to go and play at a higher level. I don’t think it was the best of advice he was given from his advisers.

“What he has done has certainly alerted other clubs and there have been enquiries.

“The chairman has invested heavily in Danny and gave him a lucrative new contract to tie him to the club.

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“It’s probably a waiting game now. We’ve got until Thursday. I think it will be a late one.”

Peterborough boss Evans further muddied the waters this week by stating he felt Stags would not sell Rose to them, whatever the price now.

“That’s the chairman’s decision,” said Flitcroft. “He has invested heavily in this project.

“Part of the sustainability of the plan going forward is to develop players and sell them when they hit the ceiling. All the top clubs do it. Brentford are probably the best at it and they make phenomenal money.”