Rovers captain Ben Whiteman has praised James Coppinger as one of the biggest influences on his career so far.
The 39-year-old’s career has spanned two decades with much of his time spent at Rovers and Whiteman believes he is the best player he had played alongside by some distance.
“Copps has been massive for me in my career – he’s the best player I’ve played with by a country mile,” said Whiteman.
“He’s been massive for me because he’s been there and done it throughout the leagues. You wouldn’t be playing for this amount of time if you’re not a good player and a good person as well.
“We get on really well off the football pitch and we’re both the same in terms of how much we love the game - and how we analyse our own game. On Sundays, we usually text about how the match on Saturday has gone.”
Speaking to D3D4 podcast, Whiteman explained that Coppinger is still one of the hardest working players in the Rovers squad.
“The way Copps performs on a football pitch is outstanding day to day. Even in games now, he’s right up there in terms of miles covers,” he said.
“The way he looks after his body and trains throughout the week is very good and that’s part of the reason he’s still playing at 39.
“He’s a great lad, trains very well, and off the field he does some outstanding work in his community and for football as well.
“When he finally does hang his boots up aged 56, I’m sure he’ll succeed off the field too.”
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