Steve Evans talks to www.themillers.co.uk...
Manager Steve Evans has admitted that the Millers elevation to The Championship was key to him signing former England under-21 International Matt Derbyshire.
Evans added the ex-Blackburn hot-shot to his ranks on Friday confirming he was impressed with the 28-year-old’s professionalism throughout negotiations.
Derbyshire becomes the Millers second summer signing and Evans stressed that the striker was keen to stay in The Championship after leaving Nottingham Forest at the end of last season.
“We would not have got him in League One because kid has had significant interest in him from Championship clubs,” Evans told www.themillers.co.uk
“Our target list has always been the same but within that list there is an element of players that our only hope of signing them was if we were in The Championship, that wasn’t because of finance, it was about playing as high as you possibly can.”
With work ethic always high on the Evans manifesto he believes that Derbyshire ticks all the right boxes to fit in with the Millers all action style of play.
“He’s quick, strong and a clever player with good movement,” reiterated Evans.
“He has the capability of getting goals from anywhere, he’s certainly not to be discounted from getting the Alex Revell type of goal like we saw at Wembley, but he’ll also be in the positions to get simple tap-ins. He’s a goalscorer but he also comes with that real work ethic that in the last couple of seasons Rotherham United have become famous for.”
Following the signing of Conor Newton from Newcastle United, Evans continues to fit together his Millers jigsaw ahead The Championship campaign in August, and he has warned his striking department isn’t finished with yet.
“He (Derbyshire) knows he will get competition here because he knows that there will be one, two or maybe three others to follow, plus what we already have.
“We are seriously ambitious about embracing The Championship; we will go into the league with a purpose. We know about the size of the teams in there, we know the size of the task ahead, we will be second favourites in the games we are involved in but we are going to go into the games with that type of player that will give us the chance to win matches. Matt Derbyshire is one of those types that we want here.”