‘It was nothing to do with Sav’ – Millwall boss Rowett on midfielder not coming on in loss to Huddersfield Town

BY ALEX GRACE

Gary Rowett has confirmed that there is no issue with George Saville despite the midfielder being an unused substitute in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Huddersfield Town.

The Northern Ireland international was left on the bench despite Rowett using all five substitutes available to him during the game in Yorkshire.

The midfielder missed the win over West Bromwich Albion last weekend with an illness. Fans had expected to see Saville return to the starting line-up but Rowett opted to stick with Jamie Shackleton in that role.

Saville and Billy Mitchell had been standout performers in recent weeks.

“It was nothing to do with Sav,” said the Lions chief.  “There’s a good chance that he’ll come into the team for the next couple of games, or one of the next couple of games certainly.

“Shacks had done well enough in the previous game, and Billy, to stay in the team. We spoke about working hard to keep the shirt.

“At the end, I just felt as though we needed something to unlock the game with a bit of quality. With Evo [George Evans] sitting in front of the back four, he’s got good passing ability. It didn’t quite work but, again, it was horses for courses.

“It wasn’t the time to give someone some minutes, it was a time to try and get back into the game – it’s as simple as that.”