MILLWALL boss Gary Rowett wants to give Oliver Burke the platform to fulfil his potential and help get the Lions out of a “difficult period”.
Burke, 24, made his debut as a substitute against Blackpool last weekend following his loan move from Sheffield United.
Scotland international Burke was considered one of the most talented teenagers in the UK when he moved from Nottingham Forest to German side RB Leipzig for £12million in 2016.
There was another big-money move a year later as West Bromwich Albion paid £13million to bring him to the Premier League.
Only seven of his 45 league games across those two seasons were starts, and he went on loan to Spanish side Alaves and Celtic before moving to Sheffield United in the summer of 2020.
He hadn’t played a Championship game since last August before he came on in the 1-0 defeat against the Tangerines.
Rowett was asked how he can help Burke reach his potential.
“He needs continuity, he needs someone that’s going to play him and give him a run of games even if he’s not finding the perfect form,” Rowett said.
“Every player wants that and every manager wants to try to do that.
“He’s a player that needs to be in space so there are certain counter-attacking games with space available and that’s going to be really important.
“There are other games where we’re going to have to work hard to get him into different areas to find space.
“I think he can play anywhere across a front three. I think he can play more or less anywhere but predominantly wider in a front four.
“Oli is a good footballer, he’s been with top clubs. You don’t go to those clubs unless you’re technically sound.
“His main attributes are his pace and his ability to open games up one-v-one. That’s the kind of thing we encourage, give a little bit of freedom to our attackers to try to do that. If he can do that then he’s going to be a really good addition.
“But, look, he’s not going to come in and suddenly change everything on his own. He’s going to be another important factor that we think can help us improve and get through this difficult period.
“He can help us as much as we can help him.”
Image: Millwall FC