by Luke Cawdell

Luke Rooney has yet to sign a new deal with Gillingham, despite boss Andy Hessenthaler ending the forward’s exile on Boxing Day.

Rooney, pictured, came on as a late first-half substitute against Crawley after missing the previous six games because of his decision not to extend his contract, which expires this summer.

Despite the off-field saga, Hessenthaler recalled the 20-year-old as he was short of options for the Crawley game.

"He hasn’t agreed a deal," Hessenthaler confirmed. "Luke is still our player. He has been professional in his training and I sat him down and said, ‘on merit, during the week, you have got back into the squad’, so we put him on."

Rooney’s return ended on a sour note after he picked up two yellow cards, both for fouls, in the final 10 minutes.

Hessenthaler said: "It’s disappointing that he is going to miss the next two games. But he is available to us and we will use him accordingly. Who is to say he won’t sign?"