New boy shows true colours in outing number two
KION Etete put a “difficult” first appearance for Rotherham United behind him within a matter of days to show signs of what he can bring to the Millers during his loan spell.
The striker travelled up from parent club Cardiff City on the eve of August 2 League One opening day and met his new teammates for the first time on the day of the 2-1 home win over Port Vale.
His performance in a late cameo as a substitute was underwhelming but he put that right in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Sheffield United the following Tuesday.
Because Monday had been something of a recovery day at the club's Roundwood base, the 23-year-old former Tottenham Hotspur man actually appeared in two matches without having been part of a group session first.
Manager Matt Hamshaw liked what he witnessed in the 2-0 triumph over the Blades from a player short on competitive action after making only a smattering of appearances last season.
“He played in two games before he'd even trained, which is almost unheard of,” the boss said.
“He's been a bit-part player at Cardiff, hence why they've allowed him to come to us.. He needs to get the rust off a little bit. He will say the same thing. There were big things that we saw on Tuesday.
“Port Vale was a difficult debut for him. He was running probably aimlessly, if I'm honest, trying to get us up the pitch. We're really pleased to have him on board. You'll see the best of him as the season progresses.”
Etete picked up an injury at Stevenage last Saturday and earlier this week the Millers were hoping it wasn’t serious.