‘A lot of adapting to do’ for some of the Millwall players who have arrived in summer transfer window

Neil Harris has talked about the need for patience when it comes to the bedding-in process for some of Millwall’s younger signings in the summer transfer window.

Femi Azeez, 23, and Daniel Kelly, 18, both made their first starts for the Lions in last night’s EFL Cup defeat to Leyton Orient.

Azeez was a seven-figure capture from Reading last week with Kelly – initially due to arrive at the start of January before am earlier agreement was struck with Celtic – also joined Harris’ squad around the same time.

Millwall are desperately in need of at least one striker but now potentially two after Tom Bradshaw went off with what Harris described as a “serious” hamstring injury last night. Kevin Nisbet, who has failed to settle in SE16, has already been loaned to Aberdeen.

Asked if the forward department is getting ever more challenging to recruit in, Harris said: “It can do sometimes.

“We’ve looked all summer. I was very clear on what I identified on areas we needed back in April – I identified it. And profile of player that we needed as well was identified a long time ago. Sometimes it does just take time.

“We brought some young players in, in Dan Kelly and Femi (Azeez) for example. You want them to hit the ground running but you have to be patient as well. Macaulay Langstaff has come from the lower leagues – it is almost like bringing in a young player because he has never played at the level, so we have to be patient as well.

“Japhet (Tanganga) has come in and is a Millwall player. He is almost a Millwall lad because he spent the second half of last season here, so he knows. The goalkeepers who have come in have never played for Millwall – Lukas (Jensen) has never played at The Den.

“There is a lot of adapting for the players to learn what it is to play for this football club and to play here.

“Sometimes you need experience to go alongside that. It will be really interesting to see who comes in the building the next 72 hours.”

Harris made eight changes for the fixture last night.

He said: “I haven’t changed a lot in the league with Japhet coming in for Hutch – Japhet is a very, very good player at this level and Hutch came into pre-season very, very late. That’s why it’s an importance to get the players in very early again – because Hutch has looked rusty in games, at times. The more minutes he plays the better he gets.

“Japhet was an obvious decision for us.

“Other players have had a clamour to play and they’ve knocked on my door and asked why they have not been playing and not been given an opportunity – some have been given an opportunity off the bench or had that opportunity and did well at Portsmouth, Danny McNamara was excellent there.

“I wanted to give those opportunities and what players have to realise is they are being judged all the time, every day. They are being judged by me on the training pitch and judged in their personalities and character. They are being judged – certainly – when they step on to the first-team pitch.

“If I’m really honest, which I always am, there weren’t many that impressed tonight.”

PICTURE: BRIAN TONKS