Gillingham boss Steve Evans admits he can’t force his players to take the Covid vaccine but will certainly be recommending they do.

Evans himself is fully jabbed up but some of his players aren’t and chairman Paul Scally has already spoken of his shock and surprise at the amount of those within their own squad that weren’t vaccinated.

Recent findings from the EFL revealed that a quarter of players in the three divisions below the Premier League don’t intend to get vaccinated.

Speaking this week, Evans said: “My views have been shared with the players and it is quite open. Everyone in the world deserves their own opinion and I am not a manager who is going to rule and say ‘you will get the vaccine’.

“Some people have not got around to it, which I don’t understand to be honest because we all have time to have that done, but if certain lads don’t want it done because they have a belief that is x,y and z then that is their belief. They won’t be getting forced.

“My view is absolutely one million per cent endorsed by the chairman and vice versa. Do the vaccines saves lives? I think that has been proved beyond any doubt that this vaccine is saving lives.

“Personally, I didn’t tell my daughters or anyone in my family to do it, but I asked every one of them very nicely to get it done as soon as they could. One of my daughters is a teacher so she was keen to do it, my other girl is a young mum and I said 'go and get it done, look at your baby and let’s be safe'. That's just our family’s view but we don’t disrespect another family’s view that say they don’t want to get it done.

“The interesting stat for me, what the chairman picked up on, we couldn't believe that 25% of the players (in the EFL) didn’t believe in it and didn’t even to get it. As long as that continues there are going to be games off with Covid because at certain times it will enter the dressing room and those not vaccinated are going to catch it aren’t they?

“The best doctors in the world will tell you the vaccine keeps people alive and that is enough for me.

“I am not clever enough to be a doctor but when the big boys, the best medical brains in the world line up the reasons why, then sadly the way the world is you are always going to have the odd one who wants to make a name for themselves and wants to say the opposite.”

Gillingham have had their last two games postponed after positive Covid cases among players and staff. The Boxing Day game against Ipswich Town is the latest to be postponed.