Rotherham United: Paul Warne's dilemma over winger hunt

Wide men looked like being order of the day for the Millers this summer after they lost Joe Newell, Anthony Forde, Jon Taylor and Ryan Williams, who all turned down new contracts.

However, Warne instead strengthened his central midfield options and changed his style, adopting a 4-3-3 formation during pre-season.

That has reduced the need for out-and-out wingers, leaving Warne in a tricky predicament.

He told the Star: “I love playing with wingers, the problem is I can't get wingers in who are better than the players I have got in the team.

“If I get a winger in then I am going to have to lose a striker, are the ones I can get better than the striker? At the moment no they are not.

“In the same way, if I play three central midfielders and I sign another central midfielder I could have five very good central midfielders.

“If I get a winger in they have to be better than the midfielder I take out or the team is going to be weaker.

“All summer we have been working have been working tirelessly to put wingers in front of me that are better than the ones who have left or at least as good and at the moment the search has been pretty fruitless.”

Warne believes the classic winger who get past their man and put a cross in are a dying breed as youngsters are not taught to cross.

“Football is changing, I don't think there is as many wingers out there as there used to be,” he added. “You can't go to Liverpool Under-21s and say, 'Can I have your winger?', because they don't want to cross it.

“Matthew Olosunde came from Manchester United, bless him, and we have got to teach him how to cross because he was never told to cross it, it was always pull-backs.

“Wingers are a dying breed really, but I would like the options of wingers.

“If I can get full-backs who are more attacking it might be away from home I play a different way, not with wingers but with a crazy full-back.”