Doncaster Rovers manager Grant McCann has hit out at Scunthorpe United boss Andy Butler, branding his recent comments about veteran striker Billy Sharp as “really disrespectful.”
McCann’s staunch defence of his forward came after Rovers’ 1-1 draw against Stevenage, a match in which the 40-year-old Sharp came off the bench to score the equaliser in his final appearance at the Eco-Power Stadium.
Earlier in the week, Doncaster confirmed that Sharp will be leaving the club at the end of the season.
The announcement prompted media questions for Butler regarding a potential summer move to bring the striker back to Scunthorpe, where Sharp enjoyed a prolific and highly successful spell between 2005 and 2007.
However, Butler abruptly dismissed the prospect of re-signing the forward.
When asked if he would consider a summer move, Butler offered a flat “no,” stating that Sharp was “just not a player that I’d look at.”
McCann took exception to the blunt dismissal, making a point of raising the issue with his striker in the dressing room shortly before kick-off.
“I was actually speaking to him before the game about the comments that Andy Butler made about him during the week,” McCann told reporters.
“Well, not so much comments, but ‘no comment,’ which I felt was really disrespectful towards Billy.”
According to the Rovers boss, Sharp brushed off the slight in typical fashion.
“He was laughing about it,” McCann added. “But that’s what he does, you know, and he’s done it his whole career.”
He predictably had the final say on the pitch, delivering a trademark close-range finish to secure a point for Rovers.
“I knew he’d score today. I just knew he’d score,” McCann said. “He ends up at the back post, finds the ball, and he puts it in the net. He probably could have had a penalty as well when he was dragged in the box; he probably would have took that.”
McCann praised the 40-year-old’s all-round impact and highlighted his enduring legacy as one of the most prolific goalscorers in English Football League history.
“He’s just an absolute legend, isn’t he? EFL, particularly Championship, League One level, the amount of goals he’s scored,” McCann added.
As his time at Doncaster draws to a close, Sharp’s appetite for finding the back of the net remains undiminished. According to his manager, the striker has already set his sights on Rovers’ season finale.
“He said to me coming off, ‘I need four at Peterborough to break the record,'” McCann revealed.
“You just wouldn’t put it past him, would you? You wouldn’t put it past him because he’s unreal, and I’m delighted for him.”
Thank you to our partners for the 2025/26 season
