Zian Flemming talks through his first season at Millwall after impressive introduction to English football

ZIAN Flemming is delighted with how he has adapted to life in English football after scoring fifteen goals in his maiden Championship campaign.

The Dutchman arrived for a club-record fee from Eredivisie side Fortuna Sittard last summer, quickly becoming one of the standout players in the division. Across 43 games, he scored fifteen goals and provided three assists, making it his best output in front of goal in a season in his professional career so far.

While the Lions missed out on his main aim of securing a top-six finish, he revealed that he achieved his “personal goal” of becoming a key member of the first-team squad, combining with striker Tom Bradshaw to score more than half of the club’s goals this season.

This is especially impressive considering that Flemming had to adapt to a totally new life away from the Netherlands, with the 24-year-old stressing that he has been made to feel welcome in his first year in South London.

“I’m really happy and a bit proud of how I managed to adjust myself to the step forward,” Flemming told NewsAtDen before the last game of the season against Blackburn Rovers.

“I jumped into a very specific league where the demands and the intensity on your body is so high.
“I’m quite happy with how quickly the adjustment was and how I became a key player for Millwall – that was my personal goal.

“It hasn’t been easy. Maybe I was a bit frustrated at the start because of my injury, but when I came back, I found that everything went really well. I just needed that first goal against Blackpool and I felt very comfortable.

“From there, it’s been really good. Everyone at the club has helped me and I like to think that I’ve helped them too. It wasn’t easy playing away from the Netherlands for the first time but they made it better.

“I feel like I improved as a player both on the pitch and mentally. I was always a confident player at Sittard, but maybe doing it in the Championship is different.