Millwall provide injury update on 'strong' winger and record signing ahead of Portsmouth and Sheffield United

Millwall head coach Alex Neil has provided an update on the progress of wingers Camiel Neghli and Femi Azeez ahead of upcoming Championship fixtures against Portsmouth and Sheffield United.

The Lions host Pompey at The Den on Saturday afternoon before making the trip to South Yorkshire to take on the Blades at Bramall Lane. Millwall sit 13th in the Championship table with seven fixtures left this season, six points off the play-off places in a tightly-packed second tier.

Neil’s side were beaten 1-0 by Sunderland at the Stadium of Light last weekend and will look to bounce back in front of home support against John Mousinho’s men. The Lions have had to survive without key attacking outlets in Neghli and Azeez in recent weeks. A fresh update from the Millwall boss, relayed by Southwark News, confirms that the players won’t be back to face Portsmouth or Sheffield United.

Alex Neil provides Millwall injury update

He said: “He [Neghli] is at least two weeks away. Him and Femi will be lucky if they make the last three or four games.

“When those two lads have been fit, predominantly they’ve played wide left, wide right. When you’re missing maybe two out of your front three players, that’s always tough.

“But what it does do is it gives the little lads an opportunity and a chance to come in. Aidomo’s done well in some of the games previously, Aaron Connolly’s done well in some of the games previously.

“I think just unfortunately both of them seem more comfortable off the left than they do off the right. With Ra’ees missing the last game as well, it limited our options in terms of that right side. Although Aaron did it, he’d much rather play off the left if he could.”

Femi Azeez and Camiel Neghli to miss out v Portsmouth and Sheffield United

Millwall paid a club record fee to bring Neghli to The Den from Sparta Rotterdam with that transfer sum confirmed to be more than the £2.8 million spent on Mihailo Ivanovic last summer. He picked up his injury in the FA Cup defeat to Crystal Palace last month.

Meanwhile, Azeez arrived at the London outfit from League One club Reading last summer. The 23-year-old has impressed when fit, most memorably bagging a brace against Leeds United in the FA Cup win in February.

Speaking after that win, Neil said: “I think Femi gives us something we currently didn’t have in the side, which is his raw pace in terms of looking to get him behind. Luke Cundle is a pocket player on one side we’ve got Camiel [Neghli] who’s just come in as a pocket player on the other, but what Femi does is he offers that threat where he can get in behind.

“He wants to look in behind first and foremost which you need in your team. He had three opportunities to score. I think the other one, he hits the bar. The first one’s a bit fortunate, obviously takes a deflection and and flips into the far corner. But after I thought he had a really good strong performance.”

In other news, a Middlesbrough striker has confronted Millwall transfer speculation after Michael Carrick comments.