James Collins has joined Doncaster Rovers on loan until January as he continues his recovery from the serious knee injury he suffered last season.
The experienced striker will spend the first half of the 2026/27 campaign with Grant McCann’s side, although he is not expected to return to full team training until later in the autumn. The move has been arranged to give him the best possible opportunity to play regularly during November and December.
Collins ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament during our EFL Trophy meeting with Huddersfield Town in December 2025. He subsequently underwent surgery and missed the remainder of our League One title-winning campaign.
His loan move is also connected to Championship registration rules. We can only name 25 senior players in our squad until the transfer window reopens in January, leaving Collins without an immediate route back into our first team as he completes his rehabilitation.
Sporting director Jez George explained that the striker remains on schedule and should return to training within the timeframe originally set by the club’s medical department.
“James is progressing well with his rehab and should return to team training within the timeline our medical department originally anticipated. What James will then need in November and December is game time, and we are not in a position for that initially to be with Lincoln City, based on the rules in the Championship of us only being able to register 25 players in our squad until the transfer window opens again in January.
“This arrangement gives James the best opportunity to get back to starting games and scoring goals at the highest possible level so that we can all re-assess everything in January, when we hope that James will be back to where he was when the injury occurred last December.
“Doncaster Rovers are a good club, Grant McCann is a good manager, and they have a track record of having senior players contributing at the top end of the pitch in their team, such as Billy Sharp last season, so we are pleased to facilitate this loan for James’s long-term benefit.”
Collins joined the Imps from Derby County in January 2025 and made an immediate impression, scoring on his debut in our 5-1 victory over Peterborough United. His experience and goals subsequently played an important role for us, with the former Republic of Ireland international registering 14 league goals before suffering his injury.
City activated the option in Collins’ contract following the diagnosis, extending his stay at Sincil Bank until the summer of 2027. The loan is therefore designed as another step towards getting him back into contention for the Imps, with his progress and future set to be reviewed once the January transfer window opens.
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