Alex Neil reveals Millwall academy star’s best position – and says ‘he has staked his claim for the next squad’>>> DETAILS IN COMMENTS

ALEX Neil said Ra’ees Bangura-Williams has “staked his claim for the next squad” after the 20-year-old scored on his debut last Monday.

Bangura-Williams was substituted on in the 75th minute of Millwall’s FA Cup Third Round tie against Dagenham & Redbridge, and scored a stunning solo goal late on to add gloss to the 3-0 win.

Neil brought Bangura-Williams on for left winger Adam Mayor, but thinks he’s best suited to a more central role.

“I don’t see Ra’ees as an out and out wide player, I think that game suited him in the fact we were able to roll a wide player in off the line,” Neil said.

“So I think he can certainly do that if necessary. But he’s probably more of a central midfield player, maybe a number eight, potentially a number ten depending on how we would deploy that player in the game. I think that’s probably his best role.”

When asked if Bangura-Williams could be in line to feature against Championship opposition, Neil said: “He’s come off the bench and he’s had an impact in the game in the FA cup against a National League opponent. He’s done great. What he has done is he has staked his claim for the next squad, the next team, the next whatever.

“But it’ll be down to him, because bear in mind the benefit I’ve got that obviously the fans don’t have, is I watch them day-to-day in training as well. So that forms a big part of making sure that if you want to be in the team, that you train well on a daily basis, you show that you deserve to be involved as well as obviously contributing to matches.

“So I think you put it all into a big melting pot and then I think by the end of the week, most people who are privy to watching the sessions and watching the games, most times we’re normally all sort of relatively close together in terms of who deserves to be in the starting line-up and obviously the rest of the lads then will have to make do with a place on the bench.”