‘He will take this in the right way’ – Millwall boss Harris on demands he has set for striker Kevin Nisbet

Neil Harris has discussed Kevin Nisbet’s recovery from injury and set the striker a target of getting himself “fitter and sharper” over the course of the summer as he looks to nail down a place in Millwall’s first-team next season.

The Lions head coach was quizzed about the Scottish international’s progress after the his side’s 1-0 victory over Plymouth Argyle at The Den on Saturday.

Nisbet has missed a hefty chunk of the campaign with a hamstring injury.

“He’s got a long way to go,” said Harris.

“He did 20 minutes today, 45 in the development team on Tuesday. Nizzy is nowhere near fitness. He will take this in the right way, but needs to get himself fitter and shaper and healthier, that’s my demand.

“If you are going to be a Millwall number nine you need to run like Tom Bradshaw does, that’s the demand from Nizzy. I’m going to help him, encourage him, and I look forward to working with him over the course of the next 12 months.”

It’s been a frustrating first season at The Den for Nisbet.

He has made 29 appearances in all competitions, just 17 of those have been starts. However, he has found the net five times, only Zian Flemming has scored more with seven.

Nisbet returned to action in the 3-1 win over Cardiff City on April 13, that was his first involvement since the 1-1 draw with Preston North End back in January when he suffered a hamstring injury which at the time was set to keep him out for the remainder of the season.

The former Hibernian player has struggled with injuries in the past, he missed a large part of 2022 with an ACL injury but returned and went on an excellent run of form scoring eight goals in nine games.

That is the type of form that the Millwall head coach will be looking for from the frontman next season.

Harris added. “He is coming back from a long-term injury. We need to get him fitter over the course of the summer.

“He will have a programme to do over the summer and the challenge for him coming back at the end of June will be the same as the other players, get on that start line and make sure you are worthy of being a Millwall striker next year.”