Millwall can’t just rely on Zian Flemming for end product in final third

Millwall manager Gary Rowett has talked about the importance of other players in his squad delivering big moments in the final third – and not just expecting it from club record signing Zian Flemming.

The Dutch attacker scored a hat-trick in a 4-2 win at Preston before the Championship shut down for the World Cup.

The Lions resumed league duties on Saturday and lost 3-0 at Sunderland.

Flemming put a first-half strike narrowly wide of the left upright as Millwall were punished for not taking their chances when on top in the opening 45 minutes.

Asked if Millwall’s levels did not look so good when Flemming is not at his ruthless best, Rowett replied: “No, I don’t think so. We had that same thing with Jed [Wallace] last year. When you’ve got good players, your good players need to perform, don’t they? We’re not a team that is going to have six or seven of those type of players.

“There were enough moments in the first half, we felt as though the likes of Vogey and Danny could get down that side and cause problems – we did. We just couldn’t quite find the finishing touch and the final touch.

“Zi’s human. He’s not going to score every week and win us games every week. That’s where other players, certainly in those forward areas, need to step up and add that little bit of brilliance to go and unlock a tight game, which the first half was.”