Arsenal hero Ray Parlour drops Millwall promotion claim live on air | OneFootball

Arsenal legend Ray Parlour has claimed that Millwall deserve to have been promoted to the Premier League if they get there

Millwall are in strong contention to book their place in next season's Premier League via either automatic promotion or through the Championship play-offs.

Alex Neil has guided the Lions to remarkable consistency this campaign, but they mustn't allow their momentum to slip now that the business end of the season is upon them.

Millwall encountered a stumbling block on 14 March, when they were beaten 2-1 by relegation-threatened Blackburn Rovers, thanks to substitute Mathias Jorgensen's brace.

Easter weekend will be particularly important for Neil's men, as they face fellow automatic promotion hopefuls Middlesbrough on Good Friday and Norwich City, who have been on strong form since Philippe Clement took the managerial reins from Liam Manning, on Easter Monday.

Arsenal legend Ray Parlour makes Millwall Premier League claim

Ray Parlour remains Arsenal's Premier League record appearance holder, and helped Hull City achieve Championship survival in his last season as a professional footballer.

The former midfielder was asked live on Friday's talkSPORT Breakfast by host Adrian Durham if he can imagine Millwall in the top-flight next term.

Parlour replied: "They deserve to be if they get there. What they’ve achieved with the budget they’ve got is amazing. Compared to other teams in the league, they’re well down the list of budgets, and to do what he (Neil) is doing is absolutely brilliant."

The Lions enjoyed a four-game winning streak in the Championship before their aforementioned defeat to Blackburn, and will have to re-establish that sort of form to beat either Middlesbrough or Ipswich Town to automatic promotion.

Neil's men shouldn't be too disheartened if they end up in the play-offs rather than the top two, as they haven't finished in the second tier's top six since winning promotion from League One back in 2017.

The likes of winger Femi Azeez and defender Tristan Crama have proven themselves among the best players in the Championship this term, making Millwall's Premier League dream draw closer to reality.

Alex Neil deserves enormous credit regardless of Millwall promotion outcome

Achieving promotion to the Premier League is now a tangible outcome for Millwall, who have been one of the best teams in the Championship this season.

However, before the campaign began, few second-tier observers would have suggested that the Lions would have a reasonable possibility of finishing in the top two.

Therefore, even if the Den side fail to win promotion to the Premier League, Neil deserves great credit for the work he has done this term, barring an unexpected collapse that sees them fall out of the play-off places.

Millwall have enjoyed several impressive results this term, including their recent victories over fellow promotion hopefuls Derby County and Hull, as well as February's 3-0 triumph over Birmingham City.

The Lions have also beaten the likes of Wrexham and Southampton, while supporters were particularly proud of January's 4-0 thrashing of South London rivals Charlton Athletic.

Should the Den club clinch promotion to the Premier League, Neil's exploits could go down as one of the greatest managerial feats the Championship has witnessed.

As alluded to by Parlour, Millwall have been punching above their weight, and will deserve the limelight that comes their way if they earn promotion to the top flight.