Steve Wharton hopes Scunthorpe can enjoy a third promotion in five years

Scunthorpe United chairman Steve Wharton hopes to keep Gary Hooper at the club even if they fail to gain promotion back to the Championship.

The Iron's 30-goal top scorer is set to return for Sunday's League One play-off final showdown with Millwall at Wembley following a groin injury.

But Wharton said: "It would take a lot of money to prise him away from here.

"He's got another year on his contract so he's our player. We've no intention of selling and we don't need to sell."

Hooper has been watched by scouts of Premier League and Championship sides.

But Wharton told BBC Look North: "The only reason we would sell is if somebody presumably offered us so much money we couldn't say no."

Hooper, 21, a £175,000 buy from Southend United in July, did well in a loan spell at Hereford United last season, scoring 11 goals in 19 starts. And he scored twice in four games at Orient a year earlier.

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