George Honeyman still has burning aspirations to play in Premier League…and believes Millwall can take him there

George Honeyman’s most recent appearance as a Premier League footballer came five years ago at Hull City’s KCOM Stadium. The good news for Millwall is that their new midfield signing is hellbent on getting back to that level.

The 27-year-old arrives in South London with no lack of experience. He has been forced to stomach back-to-back relegations at Sunderland but also won the League One title with Hull City.

Honeyman scooped all three of the Tigers’ Player of the Year awards in their promotion-winning 2020-21 campaign as well as being voted into the divisional Team of the Season.

With the exception of League Two, he has played at every level domestically down to the National League – with six matches totalling 271 minutes in England’s top flight.

“I was lucky enough to come through at a Premier League club and train with Premier League players,” Honeyman told the South London Press.

“The ambition my whole career has been to play there and I’ve been lucky to make some appearances in the Premier League. I feel that is attainable again.

“I probably realise, at my age, that it is going to have to be from a Championship club going up – but I’ve joined one that has been on the brink of the play-offs in the last few years. Hopefully I can add to it and we get over that final hurdle. What a way it would be to do it, if I can help Millwall get into the Premier League.”

The Lions made their interest in Honeyman known before Hull triggered a 12-month contract extension. But talks over longer terms failed to reach a satisfactory conclusion.

“They did offer me a longer-term contract – the same length as Millwall – but it wasn’t how I felt I was viewed at the club,” said Honeyman. “They could’ve given me a better deal and they were refusing to. That’s their prerogative, of course, they are the ones running the club.

“It’s alright saying they want to keep you but it’s about offering you stuff, and that wasn’t anything stupid. Hull got a fair deal as well, so I think it worked out for both parties.

“It’s obvious they are going in a different market with the Turkish players they are bringing in. Listen, I left on really good terms.

“I’m delighted to be here. Millwall made it really clear they wanted me – that’s an amazing thing and it’s quite rare to find that in football. When someone wants you that bad it makes you feel like that’s the place you should go. It felt like the right thing to do.

“It was around April time when I spoke to Millwall. We had a really good conversation. I had an inkling that Hull were going to let me go on a free but you never know with that sort of thing. Conversations in football aren’t rare, so it’s one thing having a conversation and another putting in a bid.

“The club were really on the front foot with it, as soon as the window opened – they put in a bid and things escalated from there.”
Honeyman is staying with his uncle and aunt in South Croydon while he sorts out his own place.

“My dad’s brother is from the North East but he’s been down here for 20 years,” said Honeyman. “So I’m used to coming down and seeing them. We’ve always had a really good relationship, it’s quite a close family. It’s been a lovely touch to stay with them and not go through the rigours of hotels.

“It’s been as easy a transition as it could be, because everyone at the club has been really welcoming.

“I’ll be here with my partner, who I met while at Hull, and a couple of dogs. When you move anywhere it takes a little bit of time to get used to but London is the easiest place in the UK to get to.

“There are plenty of trains and I’ve got no doubt I will be well-supported at every home and away game, like I normally am.”

The pre-season has arguably been more of a grind due to the sweltering conditions.

Honeyman played 45 minutes in sapping heat at Crystal Palace’s training ground on Saturday, followed by the full match in Tuesday’s 2-0 victory over Dartford at Princes Park.

As a seasoned senior campaigner, does obtaining a base level of fitness feel like a chore before the serious stuff starts at home to Stoke City on July 30?

“The weather has been a bit of a challenge – it does feel like I’ve signed for a club in Spain rather than England,” said Honeyman. “The more experienced you get in your career, the more you know what you need to do to be ready for that first game.

“It’s slightly different for me compared to a lot of the other lads. I need to get that respect from my team-mates and the staff – put in good performances so the lads realise they have signed a good player for the club. I want to build my reputation with them.

“Maybe if you’ve been at a club for a few years you can coast it a bit  and still make sure you are right for the start, but as a new signing you want to hit the ground running.”

Honeyman was named Sunderland’s captain at the age of 23 – the first academy-produced player to pull on the armband since Michael Gray.

The Wearsiders had lost their Championship status the season before and would go on to suffer Wembley heartbreak against Charlton – both campaigns captured in the Netflix docuseries Sunderland ‘Til I Die.

“I think I’d had 10 or 12 appearances before that show came out,” said Honeyman. “Because both of those seasons didn’t end very well – we got relegated in the first one and lost the play-off final in the second one – I have never brought myself to watch it.

“They [each series] came out at the start of the next season and you don’t want to relive it. I might end up watching it at some point.

“That was a bit of a one-off in your career, getting followed by a documentary crew 24-7 at work. The first season was a lot more like being in Big Brother – there were GoPro [cameras] everywhere. It did feel very intrusive and we found it hard to get a good team-spirit going, because everyone thought they were being watched from every angle. The second year wasn’t too bad – it was like doing interviews in front of a camera, that’s kind of normal for the job.

“The first season was maybe a little bit too much but you’re a player and get told what to do. We just had to get on with it and we didn’t deal with it too well.”

Honeyman, who had a six-week trial at Newcastle before going back to playing for his local boys’ club until Sunderland came calling, cleaned the boots of Kieran Richardson and Sebastian Larsson as a scholar. He scored 15 goals in 97 matches for the Black Cats.

“I came through there at 10 years old and left as club captain when I was 23 or 24,” said Honeyman.

“I pretty much lived the dream for a hometown boy. I’d have liked to have finished on a promotion, but that wasn’t the case. I loved playing for that club and will always have fond memories of it.

“It was amazing putting on a Premier League strip, even as an U10 or U11. I was always very proud  to be a Sunderland player. It meant everything just to make my debut, never mind going on to making just about 100 appearances and captaining the club. It wasn’t even stuff I dreamed about.”

Sunderland’s stay in English football’s third tier was only ended this May. Not so for Honeyman, who  was sold to Hull a few months after their reverse to the Addicks.

“The whole thing happened in about 48 hours,” he recalls. “There was no phone call before or anything like that.

“It hadn’t even crossed my mind about leaving Sunderland – my number one ambition was to get us back, at least, into the Championship. I thought I might be there for the majority of my career, but it didn’t turn out that way.

“Hull put in a bid for me and Sunderland accepted it. I didn’t fight it because the club had accepted a bid – I’m not going to fight tooth and nail to stay at a place where they obviously want the money for me.

“It wasn’t an easy thing for me to get over and it still leaves a little bit of a bad taste in my mouth how I kind of left. But I went on to have a fantastic three years at Hull, so it probably worked out for the best. I loved my time at Hull and wouldn’t have changed that for the world.

“I’ve had some of my best times, if not the best times, of my career while I was at Hull.

“I had a great relationship with the fans and people at the club.

“That season [2020-21] was a great one. The only disappointing thing is that it was behind closed doors [due to the Covid pandemic]. We weren’t able to celebrate with our fans.

“But that’s life, at least I was still able to do my job while some people weren’t. Most people had been sat at home for months. I can’t groan too much about it.

“I’ve been really lucky with the places I’ve played and the people I’ve played for. I’m now really fortunate to come to a great club down south. Hopefully whenever I do leave the club I’ll leave with the same kind of relationship with the fans that I’ve had at my previous ones.”

Millwall, and Honeyman, head to the Stadium of Light on September 10.

“I have played back at Sunderland before but it was the Covid season – so it will be nice to go back and play in front of hopefully a pretty full stadium,” said Honeyman. “The matches there and Hull were ones I looked out for – but I also can’t wait for the first home game of the season and being a Millwall player at The Den for the first time.

“I’m really excited about being on the other side, having their support and seeing where it takes us.”

Honeyman replies “absolutely” when asked if Millwall’s home ground has an intimidation factor.

“It has a reputation that kind of feeds into a team’s build-up during the week. It will be something that other teams think about leading up to it. I definitely think it has an effect and we’ve got to use that to our advantage, whenever we can.

“I know the club has nearly always had a really strong home record and long may that continue. The fans are obviously doing their job and the lads have performed for them as well.”