An update on Tom Lees and his time with Rotherham United
ROTHERHAM United are bringing veteran defender Tom Lees up to speed before pitching him into action in one of their remaining pre-season friendlies.
The 35-year-old centre-half is a free agent and could earn a deal with the League Two Millers if he impresses enough during his stay with them.
He joined up with the club earlier this month after leaving League One Peterborough United at the end of last term and, for now, the focus is on improving his fitness.
“Tom's getting better,” head coach Alex Bruce said. “He's been doing his physical work at the training ground. He's going through the paces. He's getting there and we'll see how that one develops.”
Rotherham are in need of experienced operators in the their backline and Lees could tick a lot of boxes for the Millers as they seek to rebuild after relegation.
He was one of Posh's best players in his 36 appearances for them and he has spent much of a career that is approaching 700 matches at Championship level.
The former Sheffield Wednesday and Huddersfield Town man won't be considered for this weekend's home friendly against Sheffield United. After that, Rotherham travel to non-league Darlington next Tuesday before a clash with Derby County at AESSEAL New York Stadium a week later.
They kick off the action for real with an August 8 home tie with West Bromwich Albion in the Carabao Cup on August 8 and begin their fourth-tier programme at Cheltenham Town on August 15.
“Saturday is too soon for him,” said Bruce. “He could be with us for the next couple of weeks. It's one we're assessing.”
The Millers are down on numbers and, with the new season fast approaching, they desperately need new blood to add to their four summer signings.
The lack of arrivals is affecting their preparations as Bruce would like to introduce more tactical work but is hampered by the low body count.
His plan was to split pre-season into two, concentrating solely on conditioning work at first and then introducing sessions on shape and systems.
“We've done little bits and pieces,” he said. “The detail will be ... that depends on when we get the players in. That's the big thing. We'll have to see when that happens.”
No signings are thought to be imminent, and that will be source of frustration for the coaching staff as the club operate on a lower recruitment budget than previously.
Meanwhile, Rotherham will face an old boy on League Two's opening day. Midfielder Shaun McWilliams spent the last two seasons with them but is now a Cheltenham player.