Dario Gradi says captain is good enough to make step up in his career

year in association with Crewe Alexandra says the full-back is potentially good enough to play in the FA Premier League.^stThe Club’s Director of Football Dario Gradi has told the club’s official web-site that captain Matt Tootle is ready to move. The long-serving Gradi who has just completed his 31

Tootle, was the club’s double player of the season, and grew in confidence and stature through a difficult season.

Dario told crewealex.net: “I would be surprised if we didn’t lose our captain Matt Tootle this summer. Matt is ready to move on but I suppose there is not as much glamour for full-backs as there are for strikers.

“He could certainly play in the league above and I think he could play in the Premier League. If he is up to that standard we would have to wait and see but it would certainly be interesting.

“He actually spoke to me recently and said that as a young player coming through the Academy, he thought I didn’t rate him as highly as some of the others and he was quite right.

“That is a fault that I will need to address if he felt like that but he was a late developer and late choice as a scholar but he has improved with experience.

“His temperament is excellent and he reads the game well. He is a really exciting attacking full-back, who is defensively sound as well. If he had Rob Jones’s pace then there is no doubt that he would make it in the Premier League as he is technically very good.

Dario added: “It will be interesting to see how far a player like Matt can go in the game but I think he is certainly ready for the next step.”