Zian Flemming’s instinctive finishing has been a major plus for Millwall as Dutchman joint top of Championship scoring charts

Zian Flemming’s instinctive finishing has been praised by Gary Rowett – with Millwall’s club record signing joint top of the Championship scoring charts.

The Amsterdam-born attacker scored for the Lions in last weekend’s draw with Wigan Athletic at The Den.

Flemming has nine goals since arriving from Fortuna Sittard and is one of 10 players in the league to be on that total.

Only Sheffield United’s Oli McBurnie has had as many shots (46).

“It’s a really good challenge for some of the other lads in that area because we have had opportunities and we have created chances,” Rowett told the South London Press.

“Billy [Mitchell] gets a shot on the edge of the box midway through the second half – it’s a really good opportunity for him. It’s just seeing that composure and ability to pick the right shot at the right time.

“Zian has just got that instinct for it. It’s not easy. He’s done that for a long, long time. It would be really good for some of the other lads to look at him. You don’t get many chances and what he has done this season so far is that more often than not he selects the right shot and hits things early.

“He’s had a lot of shots. His mindset is that he wants to score goals and he understands you have to keep making efforts and getting in the right areas to do that.

“The bit I like is he’s really starting to read where those forward balls are going to go. He’s really starting to work hard to try and get higher up the pitch – get in and around box. Maybe early season he was hanging out and hoping one would drop for him.

“He’s been really proactive in trying to find those spaces and positions. He needs the rest of the players to supply him with those chances. I said it before, I’d watched a lot of him and knew how much natural talent he had.

“He’s scored some brilliant headers previously and that’s something he can probably add as well – getting in the box and arriving on those – because he’s very, very good in the air. Right foot and left foot he has been excellent. He’s been clinical. Maybe the change of formation, for him, has been a more natural one. He’s played that position a lot. I spoke to him a lot early season and he found it hard to find space in the formation, at times, that we were playing.

“This one is maybe a little easier to recognise where those spaces are.”