ALEX Neil was pleased to have Romain Esse back and available after a brief stint in the treatment room.

Esse, 21, rejoined Millwall on loan from Crystal Palace on deadline day but suffered an ankle injury in just his third appearance for the Lions, away at Blackburn Rovers. 

After a month on the sidelines, Esse returned to first-team football against Lincoln City, replacing Jenson Metcalfe in the 73rd minute. 

“I thought he looked more like himself,” Neil told NewsAtDen. “He has one where he runs inside with his left foot, then plays a great ball through with the outside of his foot to Zak Lovelace; the lad gets sent off. He looks a lot more confident in himself right now as well, even in training. 

“The more we can get him on the grass, the more we can work with him, the more we can try and get him incorporated into the team in terms of how we’re going to try and play, I think the better we may become.”

Neil was asked if he was pleased with how quickly Esse returned from his injury. 

“The injury was the same as Luke Cundle’s,” Neil said. “Luke was back in three weeks, and Romain was pretty much the same. It was very good because we want to try and get everybody back as quickly as we can. 

“I haven’t had a full squad to choose from so far at all this whole season, and we’re already eleven games in. The quicker we can get everybody back, the better.”

Esse joined Millwall’s academy as a nine-year-old and progressed through the ranks before making his debut under Gary Rowett on Boxing Day 2022. He went on to feature 66 times for the Lions, scoring seven goals.

He then became Millwall’s record sale when he joined Crystal Palace in January 2025, but returned to The Den after a difficult 20 months.

Despite scoring on his Premier League debut, Esse was often on the fringes of the squad, making just seventeen appearances for the Eagles before joining Coventry City on loan in January. 

He was deemed surplus to requirements this summer, and a permanent move to Club Brugge fell through in August before he joined Millwall on deadline day.