Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Robinson: Don’t be too Hastie
STEPHEN ROBINSON won’t give up the fight to keep Jake Hastie as the starlet insisted he hasn’t held talks over a move to Rangers.
The pair made it a Motherwell double yesterday with the Ladbrokes Premiership Manager and Player of the Month awards.
While united at Fir Park they could be set for a summer split after reports Gers have won the race for Hastie’s signature.
Derby, Millwall, Middlesbrough and Hull have all been linked with the 19-year-old who is available on a pre-contract.
But the winger said: “It’s just all speculation and I’m just focusing on the Hamilton game. I’ve had no talks at all.” Five goals in his last eight games has brought the spotlight and Robinson said: “There’s a lot of speculation but as Jake said, he is just concentrating on this game.
“He has a decision to make and we’re all aware of that but he’s a young man who is doing very, very well. So it is pure speculation.
“We haven’t given up hope. Jake has decisions to make. We’ve put a contract offer on the table – the best of our ability – and he’s attracting a lot of attention, which his form deserves.
“That’s the nature of things. We must be doing something right and Jake must be doing something right when he’s being linked with the clubs he is being linked with.
“We’re doing our very best to convince him to stay. Jake is a boy who has been at this club a long time, he has a great relationship with the staff, with myself, he’s playing regular first-team football and he’s doing very, very well.”