Lincoln City manager Danny Cowley has revealed he is a long-time admirer of Blues winger Danny Rowe, who he is set to sign on loan in January, having attempted to take the 25-year-old to Sincil Bank during his time as a Macclesfield player.
Town boss Mick McCarthy revealed that Rowe is set to join the League Two Imps on loan once the January transfer window opens at his Friday press conference.
"Danny Rowe is a top, top player. He’s someone we know well from his time at Macclesfield,” Cowley told Lincolnshire Live.
"We actually tried to sign him when we first joined Lincoln but he had just signed a new deal with Macclesfield.
"The year we were at Braintree, he was the standout player in the National League. We’ve all seen what standout players in the National League can do in the Football League. The prospect of him joining us is really exciting.”
He says the deal which will see Rowe join his club for the second half of 2017/18 is all but done: "Everything has been agreed in principle. We’ve just not quite dotted the is and crossed the ts,” Cowley added.
"We’re really thankful to Mick McCarthy that he has put his trust in us because I know he thinks a lot of Danny.
"Mick is a great football man who has forgotten more than I know. So the fact he is has put his trust in us is brilliant for us as a football club.”
Recalling last season’s FA Cup ties between the clubs, when Lincoln won the replay 1-0 at Sincil Bank, the Imps boss said: "Mick was really good with us over those two games.
"It must have been hard for him because it’s never nice to be beaten by an underdog but he showed real class and we had some good conversations with him after both games.”
Rowe has found it tough to break into the Town first team squad this season and has made only one Championship sub appearance in addition to a further game from the bench and his only start of the campaign in the Carabao Cup.
In total, Rowe, who is contracted to Town until the summer of 2020 with the club having an option for a further season, has made three starts and four sub appearances for the Blues having been signed from Macclesfield in January of this year.
The wideman is likely to be in action for the Blues' U23s when they face Coventry at Playford Road on Monday afternoon (KO 1pm).