Darren Ferguson says it was important Rovers acted quickly to secure the services of Ben Whiteman on a permanent basis.
The midfielder made his loan from Sheffield United permanent on Thursday, and Ferguson was pleased to get his man once he became available.
“The big change for us was that Sheffield United decided to sell him permanently, so we knew that we had to be quick and get a deal over the line because other clubs were interested,” he said.
“I spoke with the board and said we needed to prepare ourselves to make an offer, we did that and Ben’s desire to come back here was evident from the start.
“There was a figure that they wanted and we managed to do the deal pretty quickly which is good for all parties, it was imperative that we got a player of his calibre here.”
The manager is looking forward to helping Whiteman develop as a player, as he looks to add to the seven goals he has scored for Rovers in all competitions this season.
“Now that Ben is our player we can work to improve different aspects of his game, I want him to play in different systems for me and he is a very good signing for the football club,” he added.
“Making a loan permanent means that we’re not introducing anyone else into the group, it keeps the momentum going and the players know each other’s game.
“In the time I’ve been here we’ve managed to reduce the average age of the squad by around two-and-a-half-years and got a lot more value with the quality of player we’ve brought in.”
Rovers are back in action against Plymouth Argyle at the Keepmoat Stadium this weekend, get your tickets from the Club Doncaster Box Office, on 01302 762576 or at tickets.clubdoncaster.co.uk