Why Lenny Agbaire could become a special Rotherham United player
“HE wants to learn, he wants to get better.”
Assistant manager Dale Tonge was in the interview room off the main corridor at Roundwood discussing the merits of new Rotherham United signing Lenny Agbaire.
Soon, the journalists he was speaking to were about to learn that the number two was absolutely right.
Agbaire has made a hugely impressive start to his time as a Miller since his summer switch from Scottish giants Celtic.
The 20-year-old has started every game and played well in all of them. He's a 6ft 4in boy growing into a man at the heart of the defence, a raw talent for now but a beast in the making.
“He's got a lot of potential,” Tonge said. “He's got all the raw attributes that you'd want in a centre-half. He just needs to keep learning and developing in the way he's shown in his first five weeks.”
Agbaire – pronounced Ag-by-ray – was born in Croydon and moved north of the border when he was a toddler. He was raised in Glasgow and had been with Celtic all through his youth career before heading to AESSEAL New York Stadium.
The youngster never made a senior appearance for them but won the hearts and minds of Ayr United fans during a loan spell with the Scottish Championship club. Already, he's doing the same with Rotherham supporters.
Off the pitch, he's a lovely, gentle character with touches of shyness that befit someone who left their teens only in March and is making his way in new surroundings.
On it, there's no sign of such tenderness, just light-footed pace and skill at one end of his range and a mean desire to compete at the other. Shades of Semi Ajayi and Richard Wood, neither of whom fared too badly in a red-and-white shirt.
“He's a ‘proper’ type and someone we're really looking forward to continuing working with,” said Tonge. “He's humble, he's family-orientated. He's got quite a small family who he's very close to.
"He's just a really good kid who wants to get better. Ultimately, he's come down here for that experience.”
Tonge was talking at the 1.45pm press gathering last Thursday afternoon at Rotherham''s midweek base
When reporters arrived, Roundwood had been a hive of noisy, post-training activity as the first-team squad tucked into meals in the communal area. Forty-five minutes later when they left, the place had emptied and peace reigned.
Well, nearly emptied.
Still there, hunched over a laptop, were Agbaire and a certain coach by the name of Wood working overtime on the player's video clips.