"Shown his capabilities" - Pundit gives Millwall FC seal of approval over expected Alex Neil appointment | OneFootball

The pundit has spoken exclusively to Football League World about the impending appointment of the former Norwich City boss.

Ex-England international midfielder Carlton Palmer believes that Alex Neil will be "a really good appointment" for Millwall FC, as they close in on bringing the Scotsman to The Den as their new manager.

Neil Harris left the Lions halfway through December, with his final game coming against Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium as his now former side were beaten 1-0.

And with the January transfer window just a week away, ex-Norwich City and Stoke City manager Neil is expected to be appointed as the new boss of the South London club, as they look to push up towards the top six once again.

The 43-year-old has been without a job for 12 months after he was sacked by the Potters and was replaced by Steven Schumacher, but he now looks set to be the new Millwall manager going into 2025.

Carlton Palmer reacts to Alex Neil, Millwall news

Despite the role only being open for a matter of weeks, it has felt like a long time has passed since Harris announced he was going to be leaving The Den.

In that time, however, the club have won their only game. They ran out 1-0 winners at home to Blackburn Rovers on Saturday, with Mihailo Ivanovic's 96th minute winner handing all three points to the Lions.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, former England and Sheffield Wednesday midfielder, Palmer, has explained his thoughts behind Millwall's decision to bring the Scotsman in.

Palmer told FLW: "Reports are coming out that after several rounds of interviews, Millwall are set to appoint Alex Neil to replace Neil Harris at Millwall.

"Alex Neil is a very good manager, technically he’s very good. Can he do a Norwich City and take them to the Premier League? I don't really know, I think the owners have deep pockets, and apparently, he has a no-nonsense style, he has an attention to detail, he's tactically very good.

"The Championship is a tough league, Millwall are mid-table in the league on 28 points, but look at Sheffield Wednesday this season.

"I said, Sheffield Wednesday, if they stayed up this season and consolidated mid-table, then they would have done well and all they've done is made themselves very hard to beat and, all of a sudden, Sheffield Wednesday are 9th in the table on 32 points."

Palmer continued: "So, Millwall on 28 points, they're not a million miles off the play-offs. If Alex Neil can come in and get them playing nice and tight, they are already a very well drilled side and have still only conceded 18 goals, but the problem has been scoring goals. They’ve only scored 21 goals.

"I think it's a good appointment. I think Alex Neil has proven in the past what he could do at Preston North End and at Sunderland. He's shown his capabilities, so I think it's a really good appointment."

Alex Neil's Championship experience should be beneficial for Millwall

While it is perhaps not the most exciting of appointments on paper, Neil does have plenty of Championship experience that will be incredibly useful for the Lions in the coming weeks and months.

He has already experienced promotion to the Premier League with Norwich, and knows what it takes to push a mid-table side towards the play-off positions, as he did with Preston North End, although he was never able to finish in the top six with the Lilywhites.

Neil left Sunderland after helping them to promotion from League One, but struggled at Stoke, and was sacked while they were 20th in the league.

Millwall are getting a very capable manager, but there will be worries that he is not a step-up from Harris. However, he must be given time to prove himself to supporters, and build a team capable of climbing up the table.