“He’s going nowhere” – Millwall boss rubbishes any talk of defender making Den exit in January transfer window

BY RICHARD CAWLEY
richard@slpmedia.co.uk

Gary Rowett has rubbished any notion that Mahlon Romeo is set to leave Millwall this month – adding that Danny McNamara’s loan recall is simply to add cover and competition.

We broke the story first on our website that the Lions were cutting short the Sidcup-born defender’s stay at St Johnstone and that he had been offered a contract extension.

It has led to speculation on messageboards that right-back Romeo could be on the move in the January transfer window, which opens tomorrow.

But Rowett said: “Absolutely not. That is nowhere near my intentions. We want two good players for each position who can compete – particularly with the frequency of games.

“You saw it earlier this season that we played Lenny [Ryan Leonard] at right-back and right wing-back. And we played Jiri Skalak at right wing-back as well.

“We have got our own player who when I mooted the idea of coming back to Millwall his response was: ‘It’s my club – I want to come back. Even if I’ve just got the chance of getting in the team then I want to explore that’.

“Danny certainly showed the right aptitude and attitude. But to say he is coming back to take Mahlon’s place is absolute nonsense. He has been excellent over a period of time.”

“Is there areas I’d like Mahlon to continue to try and improve on? Yep, and I’m sure he’d like to do that himself. But he has been a really good performer at right-back. Danny is here to do what anybody would do, which is to give him someone else to challenge for that position.

“If you’re not playing well enough and not performing well enough then there is someone there to push you properly.”

McNamara’s place at St Johnstone is set to be taken by another Millwall youngster – James Brown.

The Scottish Premiership side are managed by Callum Davidson, who had been Rowett’s number two in South London.

Rowett said: “Could I be sure at the start of the season that Danny was going to be challenging for a place in the first team? I wasn’t sure.

“We thought it would be a really good loan because St Johnstone play in a very similar style and we had someone you can trust in Callum to bring them on. You’re playing against Celtic and Rangers, which is a really good correlation about how he might do against top-end Championship teams. I don’t think it is ridiculously dissimilar.

“We’ve watched all his games and spoken to him regularly – whether that is Shaun Williams, Nuge [Kevin Nugent], Adam [Barrett], Joe [Carnell] or myself. We’ve monitored him and think he’s done well enough to come back and challenge.

“How many games he plays between now and the end of the season will be down to his performances. Will he get an opportunity? I think he will.”

Millwall resume Championship action at home to Coventry City on Saturday.