Doncaster's Grant McCann disappointed with "really poor" call as Mo Faal loan from West Brom ends

Baggies academy graduate Faal, 20, has scored nine goals in 33 appearances for Donny in what was agreed as a season-long loan deal.

But Rovers boss McCann revealed on Saturday that the striker and his representatives made the decision they would like to cut short the loan move at its break point in the January window.

A disappointed McCann said he told the Gambian striker he hoped he would not head out on loan to another League Two club, and that it should be for a step up to League One action for the second half of the campaign. But the Doncaster boss also added he believes the whole situation has been handled poorly by the player and his representatives.

McCann, whose side are down in 20th after they lost 1-0 at home to Newport County without Faal today, said Albion were disappointed with the decision and were, like Doncaster, happy with Faal to see out his season-long stay.

"Mo's going to go back to West Brom, it happened really quickly really," McCann said. "I spoke to Mo two or three weeks ago, just before or after the Peterborough game where he was excellent and scored a good goal.

"I spoke to Mo in my office and said 'we'd love to keep you here for the rest of the season, keep developing you, keep working with you, we can add a bit more moving and running in before, because we know you're good at holding it up'.

"He was saying 'yeah yeah, I don't want to move', it happened to him last January when he went back to West Brom after he didn't play when he'd been scoring goals at Fylde.

"So Thursday I get three or four phone calls from his agent, I'm out with my family on the night. I asked Mo on Friday what was happening after missed calls from his agent. He said 'I want to leave'.

"I said 'fine, take it you're going to League One?' He didn't answer. But look, it's part and parcel of football. It actually all happened really poorly in my opinion.

"I said 'look if you're leaving I don't want you to train here today if your heart's not at our club' and he just walked out. I'm really disappointed how it's happened and how he's been guided, particularly if he goes to another League Two club.

"For me he needs to be developing himself, I spoke to West Brom and they were disappointed with it, they were happy for him to stay here, but such is football, we move on. The team is more important than any individual."

Faal started his first Football League loan slowly with just a single goal in 10 games but went on a hot streak of eight goals in 15 games between late September and early December.

He did not score in any of his final nine appearances for Rovers.

Albion boss Carlos Corberan told the Express & Star at his press conference last Thursday that it was the intention for Faal to remain at Doncaster for the rest of the season. It is unclear if and where he will head out to again.

Fellow academy graduate forward Jovan Malcolm has been recalled by Albion this month from a loan at League One Cheltenham that did not work out.