Millwall boss Rowett: We quickly settled on Hull City keeper as best transfer option

Gary Rowett says George Long was quickly identified as the ideal option to compete with Bart Bialkowski for the Millwall goalkeeping jersey.

Sheffield-born Long, 27, signed a two-year deal with the Championship side earlier this week to become their first signing of the summer.

The stopper is coming out of contract at Hull City at the start of July.

Frank Fielding had been back-up to Bialkowski, who has won back-to-back Player of the Year awards since arriving at The Den, but he has been released.

Long is a former England U20 international.

“He was one of a very, very small group of goalkeepers we saw as being a very, very good competition for Bart,” said Millwall boss Rowett. “He is coming in to try and get that number one spot.

“Bart has been fabulous, but everyone wants to try and increase competition in the squad. George has played games in the Championship and he has got really good potential, he maybe just hasn’t realised it yet. That’s always something we look for – potential to grow and get better.

“But he has also got some slightly different attributes. He is a really good signing for us, especially on a free transfer. He looks a top professional. He is a really good lad and very ambitious. He feels he can play at the top level and I like players like that, ones who have hunger and desperately want to come to our football club.

“He is very athletic, agile and dynamic as a keeper. He is a terrific kicker and got great distribution. He has got all those things, but he is up against probably the best goalkeeper in the Championship over the last two years.

“What you’re always trying to do is fill your squad with the right type of options so that at any point in the season you have different types of players that can do different things to complement each other.

“George understands the situation coming in. It is up to George to come and impress, to make those decisions really difficult.”