Stevenage boss Steve Evans has hailed Derby County manager Paul Warne as a fighter and joked that the fighting spirit is something that the Rams boss got through working with him.
Derby are in second place in the League One table and are set to square off with fellow promotion chaser Stevenage at the weekend.
Warne’s side suffered a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Stevenage earlier in the season when Derby visited the Lamex Stadium.
Evans, who worked with Warne at Rotherham United, stated that the 50-year-old tactician is a gifted manager and hailed him as a fighter.
The Stevenage boss also feels that the fighting zeal in Warne is something that the manager took from when he worked alongside him.
“He is a fighter, Warney, isn’t he?, Evans told Stevenage’s official media.
“It is something that rubbed off on Warney when he worked for me for four years.
“He is a gifted manager; he is a gifted young man who works incredibly hard.
“He knows a player; he has been a player. I think he played once for me and I told him to get the boots in the cupboard.
“He is a brilliant guy and he is a good manager.”
Now it remains to be seen whether Warne will be able to secure three points at the weekend by defeating Evans’ side at Pride Park.
