Leeds United loanee produces best defensive display since making Millwall loan switch

Charlie Cresswell produced his best defensive performance in a Millwall shirt in Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Sunderland.

That’s the verdict of Lions manager Gary Rowett, who brought the Leeds United loanee into his side after Shaun Hutchinson was ruled out with a injury.

Cresswell had not started in the Championship for the Lions since the 3-0 defeat at Sunderland in early December.

The England U21 international centre-back was an unused sub for their next five league fixtures before coming on in the 89th minute against Cardiff City.

Cresswell made his 14th start for Millwall in their match at the weekend.

“He’s a good, talented young player,” Rowett told the South London Press. “He’s coming into a really, really tough league with a big reputation.

“We’ve seen it before in this league, it’s a different animal. It throws up different challenges, not least for a young centre-back.

“He has coped really, really well and learned some big lessons in games along the way because there are some good players in this league.

“You’re looking for a young defender like Charlie to learn and adapt their game. Certainly at the weekend he did that – he made many good decisions about when to follow people in, when to go nice and tight and when to drop off and keep his distance.

“They are the little learning curve you have to have as a centre-back. We know he is composed and got a really nice range of passing. We know he’s aggressive and is very good in the air, he’s a threat in the other box as well.

“I thought it was as well as he played for us. He showed a level of control and composure on Saturday. I think he came into the Sheffield United game so desperate to do well, sometimes that enthusiasm and desire to do so well can put you in positions you don’t want to get in – because you’re trying to win every tackle. His decision-making was better and when he did need to win tackles, he competed really, really well. He wants to win duels, that’s why we brought him into the club in the summer – we thought he’d be a really good fit.”

Cresswell held his head in disbelief after lashing a strike off target in the first half against the Black Cats.

He has scored four goals for Millwall, including a brace on his debut against Stoke City.

“I only saw it briefly on the day,” said Rowett. “I think he’ll be disappointed he didn’t hit the target because it didn’t deflect or come off anyone.

“In training he is really good in front of goal, he has opportunities and rarely misses.

“I imagine when I watch it back there were bodies in the way. I don’t think there was a really clear sight to goal. It wasn’t a glaring miss, it was a snapshot.”