Some names have cropped up with depressing regularity in fitness bulletins from Roundwood this season, and summer signings Raggett and Liam Kelly were amongst them again before Saturday’s League One game at home to Northampton Town.
Influential midfielder Kelly is fit to be involved in only his seventh Millers League game but defender Raggett will sit out for already the 13th time. It is something Evans knows the club must get to the bottom of.
“We’re worried about Sean,” he admitted. “We think he’s had a little recurrence.”
The Scot was speaking before Friday’s update from the medical team on the 30-year-old.
“We just need to get him right because, as everyone has seen, he makes a difference to us,” added Evans. “I think it’s cartilage around the bone bruising.
“He’s been restricted by it. We need to make sure he’s 100 percent right.
“My brief already to the medical team is to bottom it out completely, whatever it is, before he plays again. Sean’s of the same mind.”
Luck has not been on the side of Kelly lately as he looks for rhythm after an early-season groin injury.
“He had an illness that he was shaking off and shaking off,” revealed Evans. “Then his little girl had an illness and he had to be around her a little bit. He was in on Thursday and trained really well. Liam will be around it on Saturday.”
Others have been told they will be one of the “two or three” players Evans looks to move on in January to make space for signings, but until they leave, he has promised to treat them as valued members of his squad.
“You have to be honest with players,” said Evans. “The professionalism of these young men today is very high.
“We’ve said, ‘You may be surplus to us and we’re going to look to move you on, but until then we’ll treat you like we treat anyone else. We’ll treat you like we do our star striker or goalkeeper. You’ll be treated properly.’
“They then have a reason to perform at the top of their game. They may not be right for us, but they’ll be bang right for somebody else’s model.
“Football is all about opinions and subjectivity. We don’t need players walking about second-guessing.”
