'Grown up' Reece James returns to Rotherham United more experienced but still ambitious

But the former Huddersfield Town, Doncaster Rovers and Sheffield Wednesday player is still ambitious, determined to prove himself at Championship level.

The relegated Millers have made no bones about wanting to get back there under manager Steve Evans, which is why they signed James on a free transfer from the Owls, on top of Joe Rafferty, a key figure in Portsmouth winning the division last season, and Jonson Clarke-Harris, who went up with Peterborough United in 2020-21. It is also why they are interested in George Byers, another free agent who was part of Wednesday's League One play-off winning team of 12 months ago.

James won the third-tier title with Wigan Athletic in 2016 and 2018, and who reached the League One play-off final with Sunderland in 2019 but his time at Hillsborough sums up his typecasting – an integral figure on loan in League One, the move was made permanent last summer but he only made three Championship starts.

"I want to get promotion and I want to get back into the Championship," he said. "It seems a great fit for both of us.

"I want to play as high (up the league ladder) as I can and Rotherham really gave that (opportunity).

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"I've been here before, I know what the club's about, I know its ambitions and I want to chase promotion."

But there are limits to what James can teach his team-mates because like him, the division is quickly evolving.

"Previous experience is something you can live off but the league's constantly changing and getting more competitive," he told the clubs website. "When you see the size of clubs in this division – the teams that haven't been promoted, have been promoted from League Two or relegated from the Championship, it's going to be tough.

"It gets tougher each season but it's something you've got to be ready for. That's something my experience can hopefully help with.

"It's about hard work first and foremost but also a togetherness. You've got to make sure when times get tough – results aren't always going to go your way – you dig in deep and dig in together."

Until he started working with Darren Moore at Doncaster in 2019-21, then Wednesday, James was a left-back, but now he is adept at just about any left-sided or central role.

"I think I've grown up quite a bit," he reflects. "I've had three promotions from this division now and I think I'm a bit more of a rounded player, someone who can play in numerous positions. I'm just trying to get better and better and that's hopefully something I can do now working with the manager.

"You don't want to get the tag of 'utility (player' but I'm happy to play wherever the team needs me and wherever the manager needs me."

The club has changed too, even if Evans has returned as manager.

"I was only young at that time, it was my second loan but the first proper loan I'd had (he only played twice for Carlisle United)," he says. "I had a real good relationship with (Evans) at that time, he helped me as a player on and off the pitch and I wanted to come back and have that working relationship again.

"It was a crowd that wanted to see hard work and players that were willing to fight for the badge on the shirt, which I try to do game in, game out.

"They want to be a sustainable Championship side and that's what they're trying to do now by bringing in players who can hopefully achieve that."

Joining James, Rafferty and Clarke-Harris is Shaun McWilliams, who won promotion to League One with Northampton Town in 2023 as Evans wastes little time rebuilding the squad.