Rotherham say Mullins still has a future if he heads north

The Millers defender took up a three-month loan switch to Chris Wilder’s Oxford United late last week, with boss Evans revealing that he gave the green light to the move due to Mullins’s personal circumstances, with the 26-year-old keen to be at a club nearer to his family home in the West Midlands.

Despite agreeing to the switch, the Millers chief is not closing the door on ex-club captain Mullins resurrecting his career at the New York Stadium in the future, but feels it will take a leap of faith on his part.

Evans said: “I hope we can find a bridge to build, because I rate Johnny very, very highly as a centre-back.

“He certainly has a future (here), but he decides it. If he says: ‘I cannot move and am going to commute every day’, then he does not have a future. That is simple.

“It does not matter who the manager is, I think that would be coming from the chairman. The football club pay Johnny good money to move up, but for reasons we understand, he has had to move back.

“But we are charged with putting the best team on the pitch and making sure they are prepared properly.

“We spend all week preparing players for 90 minutes. But we cannot spend all week preparing Johnny for 90 minutes, if he is then spending five hours driving each day.

“I suppose some days Johnny has woken up and worried more about the traffic than about performance.

“And that would only be human if you are going to spend two-and-a-half hours in a car each way.

“That’s five hours a day driving time and how does that make it that come Saturday you are fresh and ready to give your all in 90 minutes? I suggest not,” said Evans.

“I feel for the kid because he did move up and show his commitment, but personal circumstances dictated he had to move back home with the family in that area (West Midlands) and myself and the chairman respect that wholly.

“But above all that, we have to do what is right for this football club.

“Hopefully, we can come to an agreement if he is up here a reasonable amount of time and stops over.

“That is fine, and while we are not going to dictate to him, if he is telling us he cannot do it, he is ruling us, rather than us ruling him.”