Millwall confirm injury blow after pre-season win over Gillingham

George Honeyman went off with a quad issue at the weekend

GEORGE Honeyman is set to miss the beginning of the season after picking up an injury against Gillingham.

The Lions won 2-0 against the League Two side in their opening pre-season friendly but the victory came at a cost.

Honeyman, 28, pulled up 20 minutes into the game and had to be subbed off for Danny McNamara.

The midfielder suffered a grade three quad tear and could now be out until September.

Manager Gary Rowett told News At Den: “I’m disappointed George will miss a period especially around this important time of pre-season.

“[Losing] his character and ability to play different positions will be a blow but hopefully he will make a good recovery.”

The former Sunderland player made 38 appearances in the league for Millwall last season and 40 in all competitions.

The first game he will miss is tomorrow’s trip to Sutton.

Gary Rowett urges youngsters to ‘show what they can do’ in Millwall friendlies

GARY Rowett has challenged Millwall’s young stars to “show what they can do” across the club’s four pre-season games.

The squad head to Kent today to take on Gillingham for their first game in front of fans since May.

The manager is set to play two different XIs in both halves, giving a number of players the chance to impress.

This includes some exciting young talents currently at The Den who will be looking to get more game time during the Championship season.

Rowett believes the time to shine is now for those looking to push into the first-team.

He told NewsAtDen: “There’s always that opportunity. The likes of Chin [Okoli], Niino [Adom-Malaki], Aidomo [Emakhu], Romain [Esse], Alex Mitchell – but he’s a little more senior in some ways – but there’s an opportunity for all those players to show what they can do and show their development.

“They’ve all done well in different parts of last season, whether that was with the under-21s or with the first-team squad.

“We’ve got a squad at the moment of 22, 23 players so I think the aim is always to give everybody the same opportunity to show what they can do and the same opportunity to impress and get fitness.

“So we’ll do the same [as we did] against Bromley, play two teams, two 45 minutes and maybe add a little bit of extra conditioning at half-time and after the game to make it feel more like a 60-minute game.”