ROMAIN Esse has been challenged to become a regular starter in Millwall’s first team by under-21s boss Kevin Nugent.
The 18-year-old was called up by Gary Rowett on Boxing Day, coming off the bench in the Lions’ 2-0 win away at Watford. Since then, he has been a regular on the bench, playing twelve games and winning the Young Player of the Year award for 2022-23.
He is yet to make his first start in the Championship but supporters have been desperate to see him included, with his energy and creativity a major asset in the latter stages of games towards the end of the season.
While a loan move was not ruled out earlier in the campaign, Rowett has been keen to keep the attacker at The Den and has admitted that the next step for him will be to challenge for a spot in the starting line-up, something which Nugent agrees with.
“He’s still scholar age but he’s come in and played Championship football,” Nugent told NewsAtDen after Monday’s win against Hull City. “It’s fantastic.
“He’ll continue to keep improving, and obviously everyone is really pleased with how he’s progressed. He’s going to have an exciting career in front of him, but the next step for him is to become a regular starter in the first team.
“The pathway isn’t always straightforward. If you look at Danny McNamara and Billy Mitchell’s pathway, it’s been very different. Danny had about four loans before he got an opportunity where Billy didn’t go on loan. It’s quite interesting.
“Players now, their maturity is different than what it would’ve been years ago. Sometimes it takes them a little bit longer to get the right loan or whatever it is to get them in the first team.
“Sometimes success for us is strange to describe. If we send a player on loan and it doesn’t work, it doesn’t mean it’s not successful. As long as they’ve learnt from being out on loan, they come back and be better players and better people for it, that’s successful for us as well.
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“If you’re the manager of any Championship football club, your team selection is key. You’re under pressure when you’re in that technical area, so you want players that can win you games. He’s one of those.”
Image: Millwall FC
