David Artell has revealed that he wanted Callum Ainley to be exposed to as much running as possible during his return to first-team action.

Ainley operated at right wing-back against Doncaster Rovers in the Papa John’s Trophy and was a real threat going forward in that first half. Crewe went on to win the game 2-0 at the Mornflake Stadium.

The Crewe Alexandra boss told us: “Callum can play in numerous positions and this was another one. We were mindful of the fact that he was just coming back, so part of the thinking was for him to stretch his legs move than anyone. We wanted him to get up and down as much as possible and he did that.

“He was good and it was a good 45 minutes for him. He got as much as he could out of it and he was positive in his play.

“We could have played him at number 10 and Ben Knight at wing-back but then he wouldn’t have got as much running done.

“It was done for a reason and we know that Callum is primarily a number 10 or attacking midfielder.”