Millwall midfielder: Players would be lying if they didn’t say they kept track of transfer talk
Ryan Leonard says that Millwall’s player keep on eye on the latest transfer talk – and the club-record signing has been impressed by Neil Harris’ early business.
The Lions have added real Championship know-how with the arrivals of Frank Fielding, Alex Pearce and Matt Smith.
And Leonard, who cost a seven-figure sum when he arrived from Sheffield United last season, admitted that he and his team-mates try and keep a track of what is going on.
“We all have a look – we’d be lying if we said we didn’t look,” said the central midfielder, who could miss the club’s training camp in Portugal because his wife is due to give birth this week. “We have lost quite a few players and need to bring a few in that will fit into the group well.
“One thing the gaffer does strive for is a good team spirit and camaraderie around the group. So far he has brought in some good lads.”
There were debuts for goalkeeper Fielding and striker Smith on Saturday in a 4-0 friendly win over Concord Rangers.
“The biggest thing for us at the moment is fitness and trying to get it back into our legs,” said Leonard.
“You can do as much running as you want in training but it doesn’t compare to a game, no matter how long you play it is a lot harder than running in training.
“It’s about getting fit, trying to build some partnerships and getting in good habits.
“You can lose it quickly [fitness over the summer break] after a couple of weeks but you can get it quickly as well – especially the way we have trained. After four or five days we were back at it.
“It’s just nice to start playing the games because no-one likes to train for the sake of training. It’s nice to have a game to aim for.”
PICTURE BY BRIAN TONKS
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