YORK City boss Gary Mills continues to clear the decks with Callum Rzonca, Robbie McDaid and Daniel Nti the latest players to be farmed out on loan.

The switches are all subject to the relevant paperwork being completed, but Rzonca and Nti have agreed one-month terms with National League North outfits Harrogate Town and Halifax respectively, while McDaid has joined Chorley, in the same division, until the end of the season. Unwanted trio Danny Galbraith, Matty Dixon and Ben Barber remain surplus to requirements too, along with loan signing Justin Johnson.

That quartet continue to train with the youth team, alongside teenage midfielders Tyler Walton and Sam Fielding, who have also tasted senior action this term.

Josh Robinson and Ben Clappison, meanwhile, remain on loan at Boston and Kaine Felix is with Stockport until the end of the season, as Mills wants all his efforts to now be concentrated on a more manageably-sized squad.

The players the City boss believes will meet his expectations, who are currently fit, are Hamza Bencherif, Scott Fenwick, Danny Holmes, Simon Heslop, Yan Klukoswki, Simon Lappin, Kyle Letheren, Adriano Moke, Amari-Morgan-Smith, Sean Newton, Vadaine Oliver, Jon Parkin, Dan Parslow, Shaun Rooney, Luke Simpson, Johan ter Horst, Alex Whittle and Luke Woodland.

Injured quartet Aidan Connolly, Clovis Kamdjo, Lanre Oyebanjo and Matty Fry, who sustained suspected medial ligament damage in training this week, also form part of the club’s plans.

“We’ve got 16 outfield players for training at the moment and, with those that are out injured, that’s about the size of squad I want to work with,” Mills pointed out. “It’s a more healthy number.

“We had 30 when I first came here and that was a frightening amount, but we’ve got better quality, spirit and togetherness now. I know everybody here can do their jobs and they don’t need to worry about others being able to do theirs’ properly.

“If I had this group ten weeks ago, I honestly believe we would be sitting on a lot more points now.”

On the reasons behind making Nti, Rzonca and McDaid the latest players to be shown the exit door at Bootham Crescent, Mills added: “I just needed more from them for us to achieve what we need to here in terms of consistency, mental strength and a belief in themselves and the squad.

“I didn’t feel those players had that within them. I’m sure they would disagree, but my job is to make professional decisions, not personal, which it never is with me.

“I’ve been in management for 20-odd years and I feel, in the last 12 weeks at this football club, I’ve worked harder to try and turn around the mental mindset than I have anywhere else and that’s not easy halfway through a season. I’ve got York City in my heart and my body and I want to make sure every player here feels the same.”

City are still waiting to hear the extent of Fry’s injury with Mills saying: “Matty has done his ligaments in training, so that gives us one less option at the back and it’s a blow, because he is part of the squad we’ve been putting together.

“We’re hoping it’s only his medial ligaments and will know a bit more after he’s had a scan. If it is medial, you’re normally out for a couple of months.”

Bencherif’s arrival from Wrexham has bolstered the back line, however, with Mills revealing why the Welsh club might have been willing to allow the former Algeria under-20 international to leave, even though he has featured in all but three of their league games this season.

“When I was manager there, I put a clause in his contract that, if he played a certain number of games, he would get another year and he was close to that,” the City chief explained.