Midfielder or centre-half? Rotherham United's Hakeem Odoffin has his say

Hakeem Odoffin has been a man of many positions for Rotherham United under the management of Matt Taylor, Leam Richardson and now Steve Evans.

Primarily a midfielder, he's done his best work this term at the heart of the defence and that's where he’s featuring at the moment as the Millers seek to climb into the top half of League One.

The 26-year-old is happy to find himself in the backline where he has formed a strong partnership with Zak Jules.

“It's a role I played for the majority of last season, it's not something that's new to me,” he said. “I enjoy the art of defending. I feel as comfortable there as I do in midfield.”

He and Jules have been together for the last seven games, a run in which Rotherham have conceded only five goals.

“It's good with Zak,” he said. “There's a lot of communication between us on the pitch and we get each other out of certain situations.

“We're both quite mobile so we can cover each other and be aggressive and get on the ball.”

Wherever he operates, the former Wolverhampton Wanderers youngster is a threat in the opposition penalty area and his 115 appearances since his 2021 move from Hamilton Academical have seen him score 13 goals.

His latest one came in the 1-1 draw against Stockport County in the final home match of 2024 and he said of his record: “Yeah, it's not bad. Getting on the end of things is something I pride myself on. If it contributes to points and wins, that's even better.”

Wins are what Rotherham need as they seek to put a testing first half of the season behind them and Odoffin acknowledges the frustrations of a campaign that was expected to bring a push for promotion.

“It's on us, as players,” he said. “We have expectations of ourselves and there are expectations of us from other people.

“It's disappointing when you don't get results. It's about how you react to that, how you learn from disappointments.

“It's all about runs. We want to win every game, especially at home.”

The Millers' next chance of victory on their own turf comes this Saturday when Bolton Wanderers are the visitors to AESSEAL New York Stadium.

With supporters unhappy with form and results, New York has become a tense place on matchdays.

“There's been a bit of negativity,” Odoffin said. “The way I play, I don't really let it in. Once I'm between the white lines, I don't pay attention to anything other than the football.

“Every interaction I have with fans here is positive. They're a great bunch and I enjoy every conversation I have with them.”

Odoffin is out of contract in the summer. His manager wants him to stay but there have yet to be talks over a new deal.

The player has remained coy on the subject, politely avoiding giving clear answers about his situation and offering no indication of his willingness, or otherwise, to sign on for a further stint.

Evans is in no doubt about his value to the team. “Haks' versatility is brilliant for us,” he said. “He can play in every position, I was thinking of buying him a set of goalkeeper gloves for Christmas.”

Meanwhile, another Odoffin outing at centre-half would seem to be on the cards when the Trotters arrive this weekend. He hasn't been in midfield since the home win over Lincoln City back on December 3.

“If you were a manager, where would you play you?” I enquired.

“I'm not a manager!” came the diplomatic reply.