Luke Molyneux finally sealed a switch away from Hartlepool this week, settling for a move to Doncaster.

With the side having just been relegated from League One, they'll want to bounce back almost immediately and have added the midfielder to their ranks in a bid to do so. However, speaking to the Doncaster Free Press, the player has revealed he may not have joined Rovers at all.

Instead, it appears there were offers on the table from two other interested parties that could have let him play his football a division higher in League One with Bristol Rovers and MK Dons both keen to do business.

Ultimately, Molyneux decided to take on the challenge with Doncaster and that will be a huge boost to the club - but it is a case of what might have been for the 24-year-old who seemingly had his choice of clubs to choose from.

Speaking to the Doncaster Free Press about the move, the midfielder said: "At one point I was linked with a lot of teams. Literally about a week, maybe even two, before I came to Doncaster there was a lot of talks with MK Dons and a lot of talks with Bristol Rovers.

"They were two clubs I was really looking at and seeing what could happen, but things didn’t work out. Both teams, especially MK Dons, said they wanted to look at the loan market first. I said ‘I can’t wait around’. I wanted to get back in for pre-season, so that one broke down. Bristol wanted to sign someone else and that obviously fell through."

The 24-year-old was clearly a man in-demand after his showings for Hartlepool in the last campaign then. He'd previously never played any higher than National League level with the club, minus two one minute appearances for Sunderland in the past.

However, he took to the division like a duck to water and played regularly, making 43 appearances and bagging eight league goals along the way for the club. It was the most he had ever featured in a league campaign to date and also resulted in him bagging the most goals in a single season for the player ever.

Now, he has a chance to continue his progress in the same division - although there was clearly a chance for him to perhaps test his luck even higher in the football pyramid.

Molyneux then might not have ended up at Doncaster after all but he did reveal that the newly-relegated side were the 'standout' in the division for him.

The Verdict

Luke Molyneux was bound to seal a deal away from Hartlepool this summer considering the amount of interest in his services and it is no surprise to see League One clubs chasing him too.

Considering where MK Dons are in their respective league too, that might have been a very appealing option for the player had they made a concrete offer. They would have given the midfielder a chance to play at the very top end of the third tier and would have been a real step in the right direction for him.

Bristol Rovers too have just been promoted and could have given him the chance to test himself in a new league. It might be disappointing for the player then that neither move worked out but he is clearly happy with his switch to Doncaster and it does represent a positive move when you consider they have only just been relegated and will want to challenge for promotion in the next season.

Doncaster then could also be a step in the right direction for him - and the 24-year-old will be eager to keep his good progress and good form going with his new team.