ANDY MANGAN has backed Tranmere Rovers to win promotion back to the Football League after he left to join League One side Shrewsbury Town.
The 29-year-old joined Rovers from Shrewsbury in the summer but has now made the move back after Tranmere agreed an undisclosed fee for his services.
Mangan scored seven times in 22 appearances for Gary Brabin’s side but has struggled to get into the team since returning from injury and hasn’t netted since October 6.
He once again teams up with Shrews boss Micky Mellon, who previously managed him at Fleetwood Town during which time the pair won the Conference.
Mangan said: “At 29 years old, I want to be playing 90 minutes of football on a regular basis and the gaffer could not guarantee that I would get that at Tranmere.
“Shrewsbury made an approach for me and offered an 18-month contract and the chance to be involved in League One, which was an opportunity which was too good to miss.
“I had a long chat with the gaffer about it and he agreed that he would not stand in the way of me going. Any talk of there being a fall out is absolute nonsense.
“I thank Tranmere for everything they’ve done for me and there’s no doubt in my mind that they will get into the play-offs and get promoted.”
Boss Brabin added: “We will be sorry to see Andy go but it was obviously a very tempting offer for him and I could not commit to what Shrewsbury were offering.
“We are letting him go because I think it is only fair to do the right thing by the player, rather than keeping him in a role where he is getting frustrated, which doesn’t help the club.
“I have been trying to strengthen our squad and continue to look for players who will compliment those players we have and, in particular, provide support for James Norwood up front.”
