Eaves busting to justify his number 9 shirt

Rotherham United's summer recruit from Hull City has seen his progress interrupted by a calf injury and limited game time and is still waiting for his first goal after 15 appearances.

And although Eaves is a likeable figure in the dressing room, it's out on the pitch where he wants to start having more of a say and nailing a place in the starting 11.

“I'm just being myself,” he said. “It's all well and good being a personality in the dressing room but ultimately I am here to score goals and be a number 9 for the club. That's all I want to focus my energy on.

“Competition for places is a good thing. Ask any player, he wants to be playing. From a selfish perspective, I want to be the one on the pitch helping the team. That's just the way of the world.”

Eaves also played tribute to the team's medical staff in bringing him back to fitness sooner than expected.

“The medical staff have been great,” he said. “They worked me hard! We set out a schedule and fortunately moved ahead of it.”