Exclusive: David Prutton reveals whether he thinks Steve Evans will return to management after Rotherham United sacking | OneFootball

David Prutton has given his verdict on a potential return to management for Steve Evans after his departure from Rotherham United.

Pundit David Prutton believes Steve Evans will return to management after being sacked by Rotherham United last month.

After a successful first spell at Rotherham between April 2012 and September 2015, during which time he led the club to back-to-back promotions from League Two to the Championship, Evans left his role at Stevenage to return to the New York Stadium last April.

The Millers' most recent Championship relegation had already been confirmed when Evans arrived, but his side were widely tipped to challenge for promotion in League One this season after some eye-catching early transfer business in the summer, which included the signings of the likes of Cameron Dawson, Reece James, Liam Kelly, Joe Powell and Jonson Clarke-Harris.

However, it certainly did not work out that way, and after Rotherham supporters began to turn on Evans, he was sacked last month following the 4-0 home defeat against relegation-threatened Crawley Town that left the club sitting 16th in the table.

Matt Hamshaw has been in interim charge of the Millers since Evans' exit, and led his side to three consecutive victories against Northampton Town, Blackpool and Bolton Wanderers before suffering his first defeat against Stockport County.

Steve Evans tipped for management return after Rotherham United sacking

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Prutton admitted that Evans would have been hurt by his disappointing second stint at Rotherham, but he insisted that the 62-year-old will be back in the dugout in the not-too-distant future.

"With Steve Evans, you can never keep a good man down," Prutton said.

"I've had the pleasure of working with Steve and chatting with Steve during his career, and what you will find is an extremely ambitious, incredibly hard-working, successful leader of men, as his CV shows.

"Rotherham holds a special place in his heart, so I know it would have hurt him to not get out of the team what he wanted.

"We spoke to him in the lead up to the opening day and he was very confident and very clear on what he wanted from his side, but unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

"As we know, the managerial position is now more precarious than it ever has been, but he's certainly built for the ups and downs in the sense of his experience, his fortitude and the fight that he's shown to get to the levels he has done.

"You can't keep a good man down, and I'm certain that he'll be back at some stage."

There is no doubt that Evans underachieved significantly at Rotherham this season given the quality he had at his disposal, and the Millers' immediate upturn in form under Hamshaw does not reflect well on him.

However, Evans did an outstanding job at Stevenage in his previous managerial role, transforming them from a struggling League Two side into a play-off chasing League One outfit, and he could certainly still do a job in the EFL.

Evans was spotted in the crowd for Lincoln City's 1-1 draw against Shrewsbury Town on Saturday, sparking speculation that he could be in the frame to take over at the latter, but Michael Appleton confirmed he is keen to extend his contract and remain in charge of the relegation-bound Shrews in the fourth tier next season, which likely rules the Scot out of contention.