Lions striker has every chance of gaining match minutes this season

Isaac Olaofe has been told he has every chance of getting more senior match minutes with Millwall this season after a loan move away on deadline day failed to materialise.

The Lions announced yesterday that the 22-year-old Lewisham-born striker had extended his contract.

And Millwall manager Gary Rowett believes the academy product can make a first-team impact at The Den in the current campaign.

“I’m really pleased,” the Lions chief told the South London Press when asked about Olaofe signing his new deal. “He’s one we’ve spoken about that might have gone out on loan this window or might stay, we weren’t sure. The key is that he is hungry to score goals and try to break into the first team.

“The club certainly felt they wanted to tie him down for a good length of time to see how he develops. It’s good for him, a nice reward for the work he has put in getting on the pitch and making his debut this season. Let’s see what he can do over the next seven or eight months.

“We’ve got good options. It’s tough for anyone to get lots of game time, it will be a real conundrum for me to work out.

“We’ve got the three that started the game Saturday and then I brought on George Honeyman, Tyler Burey and Benik Afobe on – those are great options to have. You can see at the weekend how that can impact games late on.

“Tanto has got to get his head down, keep working and keep developing. It might be that we get a couple of injuries, like we did last season, and he finds himself in the matchday squad and then he might come on and win us a game, you just don’t know.

“For anyone it will be quite hard to pin down a regular place in that forward line because we’ve got so many options. And with five subs, it opens the game up. I think there are very few strikers who are going to play 90 minutes regularly for any team – because it doesn’t make sense not to use those options.”