Kevan: Loan move is all down to our owners’ generosity
PORT VALE WELCOMED BACK MITCH CLARK FOR ANOTHER LOAN SPELL YESTERDAY, BUT ASSISTANT DAVE KEVAN SAYS IT WAS ONLY POSSIBLE BECAUSE OF THE CLUB’S OWNERS. MICHAEL BAGGALEY REPORTS
DAVE Kevan says Port Vale’s owners deserve credit for sanctioning the deal to bring Mitch Clark back to Vale Park. The defender has signed on loan until January to solve the club’s problems at right-back following James Gibbons’ and Zak Mills’ hamstring injuries.
But describing the deal as an emergency move doesn’t do justice to Clark, who has shown in his previous two loans at Vale that he’s a quality performer.
We don’t know Vale’s financial arrangement with Leicester City, but it seems likely the Vale will be paying a fair proportion of his wages. After all, Clark has impressed in two loans with Vale at League Two and just been nominated for the Premier League 2 player-of-the-month award for his four appearances for the Foxes’ under-23s.
Kevan thanked Carol Shanahan for agreeing to the move: “We are delighted to have Mitch back with us. We were very short there, so to have a player of Mitch’s quality back in the squad is a good addition.
“We have to thank Carol for allowing us to bring in another body at such times when things are tough for football clubs at our level.
“To be able to get a player of Mitch Clark’s capabilities is a big plus for us.
“He has done a full pre-season at Leicester and he has been playing under-23s football with them so he is able to come in and hopefully can hit the ground running for us, as he did during his last loan spell.”
Because Clark only turned 21 this year, his wages don’t count towards the salary cap under the agreement made by League Two clubs in the summer. But his wages still have to be paid.
Clark will make his 50th Vale appearance this weekend. In fact, club historian Phil Sherwin reckons Clark is the first player to join the club for three separate loans.
But delight with his return is tempered by news of Gibbons’ misfortune. The 22-year-old had fought his way back from a knee injury to make his first start, at
Morecambe on Saturday, then impressed again in Tuesday’s EFL Trophy game at Wigan only to suffer a hamstring injury going into a challenge late in the match.
Gibbons will have an operation this weekend and is likely to be ruled out for the first half of the season.
Kevan added: “It was such a shame for James. It looks like he is going to be relatively longer term.
“The good thing is he can start his rehab from Monday, but it will be a little while before we see James back. We just hope it is a smooth journey back for him.
“He has worked hard during the lockdown period to maintain levels of fitness. He came back in great shape, and then picked up an injury in pre-season, and then just as he gets himself back in and amongst it, he picks up a hamstring injury on Tuesday night.
“We are really sorry for James
but that is part and parcel of the game sometimes. We are aware of that and we wish him a speedy recovery now and look forward to getting him back with us.”
David Amoo is expected to be out for two to three weeks with the hamstring strain he suffered
in the opening stages of Tuesday’s 3-1 win at Wigan in the Trophy.
Harry Mckirdy and Manny Oyeleke both trained on Thursday following muscle injuries, but this weekend’s game might come too soon as they are eased back to fitness.