"Has let us down" - Millwall: Doubt cast on future of "great servant" | OneFootball

Our Lions fan pundit thinks it is time for George Saville to depart this summer

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Doubt has been cast over the future of out-of-contract Millwall midfielder George Saville as they look to progress up the Championship table under Alex Neil next season.

Millwall have struggled to impose themselves properly in the second tier throughout this term, and they look set for a quiet end to the campaign with promotion through the play-offs seeming increasingly unlikely as games go by.

Neil, who was appointed in December following Neil Harris' departure, will soon look to focus on an important summer of incomings into and outgoings from his squad, with a few key men likely to depart for pastures new as they approach the end of their current deals.

31-year-old Saville, who is nearly four years into his fourth spell at The Den, is one of those players. He has become increasingly less influential for Millwall over the last few years, and any extension does look unlikely at this stage.

Lions fan pundit offers George Saville 'can't be playing' verdict as contract decision looms

Saville first joined Millwall on loan from Chelsea in 2013, then spent another short spell at the club on loan from Wolves two years later. He joined the Lions permanently from the Molineux outfit in 2017, then moved to Middlesbrough another two years later, only to return to South Bermondsey in 2021, where he still remains to this day.

He has made over 230 appearances for Millwall across his four separate stints at the club, and was initially coming to the end of his existing contract last summer, but hit an appearance-based clause in April that triggered an automatic extension that will now see him depart the club in June of this year, according to the South London News.

Saville has remained a constant in the Lions' midfield this season, with 40 appearances in all competitions up to now, but our Millwall fan pundit, Lucas Ball, has urged the club to let him leave at the end of his deal in the summer due to his lesser form this term, after we asked him for a player that has outstayed their welcome at The Den.

“I think there are a lot of players that are probably naturally coming towards the end of their Millwall careers, and rightly so, in some cases," Lucas told FLW.

“There are a few in forward areas. Central midfield, I keep saying we need a bit of a revamp, and at the back as well there are a few that I think will be moving on over the summer.

“The one that probably stands out for me at this stage, more because of his length of service, is George Saville.

“‘Outstayed his welcome’ feels harsh because he has been a great servant to the club, but he has let us down on a few occasions this season in games and hasn’t been at his best.

“He’s a player I’ve got a lot of respect for. He has made a lot of appearances for the club over three separate spells, and done different roles within that.

“He’s been the dirty, hard-working defensive midfielder, has played more as a box-to-box and still maintained that tough-tackling Millwall grit. He has been a bit of a leader at times as well, and been a really important player in the dressing room, I think too.

“Also, he was expected to score a lot of goals under Neil Harris in our first few years back in the Championship. He contributed a lot from midfield, and we really missed him when he was out injured for a spell in that season.

“I think it feels a little bit harsh to say he has outstayed his welcome, but we’re at the stage where if we want to evolve as a team, then he certainly can’t be playing the number of games that he has this year.

“Whether there is a smaller role for him, I’m not sure. Maybe in terms of seeing out games, doing that dirty, gritty work in the midfield, he could be useful at times.

“Maybe in games where we’re going to have less of the ball and look to hit teams on the counter, that could still give him a useful role as a squad player, potentially.

“In terms of being a first-team regular starter, this summer should probably be the end of George Saville’s time as that rank at Millwall.”

It feels like a natural end to George Saville's time at Millwall

Millwall have long-term aspirations of finally returning to the top flight, and, despite his stellar service to the club over the years, Saville is the kind of player that they may need to move on from to properly challenge for the play-offs next season.

At 31 years old, he is certainly not getting any younger and looks to have already left his prime as a player. His days as a regular starter look to possibly already be over, with five substitute appearances and just one starting berth in the Lions' last six games in all competitions.

Boss Neil could well be hinting at the possibility of no contract extension for Saville in his recent team selections too, with Casper De Norre and Billy Mitchell both picked over him in those aforementioned games and both likely to be huge parts of the side next season. The likes of Alfie Massey and Daniel Kelly are both emerging as players for the future who will want to be given more game time, too.

If he does leave Millwall this summer, Saville will no doubt go down as a cult hero at The Den. The Northern Ireland international has been a reliable, determined player for the club and will surely not be short of potential suitors, given his experience and previous quality shown in the Championship.