‘Danny’s had to be extremely patient’ – McNamara impresses Millwall boss after returning to starting eleven
MILLWALL head coach Neil Harris praised Danny McNamara’s patience after he made his first start in the Championship this season during the Lions’ away match against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.
McNamara was on the bench for Millwall’s first eight Championship fixtures after starting 21 games in the league last season. Harris admitted it must have been frustrating for the 25-year-old.
“I’m sure it has [been frustrating being on the bench],” Harris said. “He’s a professional footballer that gets paid to play and he works extremely hard all week.
“Danny [McNamara] would want play on a Saturday afternoon and that would be the same for all the players that aren’t playing, it would be the same for the West Brom guys. You go to work all week, you want to perform on a Saturday.”
Harris cited the emergence of Joe Bryan as a reliable starter as the reason why McNamara has had to wait for his first start. Bryan was often absent due to injury or suspension during the 2023-24 campaign, starting only 15 league games.
However, he had a strong pre-season, and has started Millwall’s first eight league games at left-back, ahead of McNamara.
