‘Brilliant lads’: Gary Rowett says he would love to have Leeds duo at Millwall ahead of Sunday

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Gary Rowett has said he would have Leeds United duo Charlie Cresswell and Jamie Shackleton back at Millwall at ‘any time’.

Rowett was speaking to Southwark News ahead of Millwall’s clash with Leeds at the Den where he was asked about Cresswell and Shackleton following their loan spells last season.

The two players both enjoyed a season-long-loan in South London during the 2022/23 campaign with Leeds deciding they were in need of regular game time.

After a ropey start, Cresswell enjoyed an extremely productive year at Millwall, scoring five goals in 30 appearances before a facial injury cut his season short in April.

Shackleton, meanwhile, made more appearances in total than Cresswell but found starts harder to come by, with 19 of his 37 matches coming as a substitute.

Rowett praises Leeds duo Cresswell and Shackleton

Both players will be apart of Leeds’ squad for the trip to Millwall on Sunday though whether either get a start remains to be seen, with Shackleton certainly the most likely of the two.

Speaking on their loan spells last season, Rowett was full of nothing but praise for the Leeds duo and says they are ‘welcome back any time – apart from Sunday’.

He said: “[They were] brilliant lads. Different types of lads. Shacks was a little bit quieter, went about his work, but a really likeable lad and likeable player. Whenever he was called upon you could trust him. Sometimes his versatility probably worked against him a little bit. A change of formation for us last year worked against him. But he’s a really, really good player and he’s showing that now at Leeds.

“And Cressy’s the same. A little bit more vocal, a little bit livelier on the training ground but no less a likeable character. Both did really, really well. Both brilliant people, they fitted into the group great, really humble, threw themselves into what we’re about here as a team and both would be welcome back here any time – apart from Sunday.

“They’re very popular lads. They’ll be working hard to make sure that Leeds get a result and we’ll do likewise. There’s a lot of respect there and I think they’re really good kids.”

It is good to hear that both made a positive impact during their time down south and playing semi-regularly has clearly been good for their development.

However, come Sunday there is no doubt everything that happened last season will be forgotten and they will be doing everything they can to bring the three points back to Leeds.