Sunderland v Rotherham United: Millers learning lessons they do not really want as new boy is told to copy Manchester United's Casemiro

If they do, hopefully the homework new club record signing Christ Tiehi has already been given will come to fruition.

How big a part the midfielder plays in Saturday's game at Sunderland remains to be seen. He has been training with the squad for some time but until he received his work permit on Friday, was unable to play.

Manager Taylor will just be hoping his side can get through a Championship game without a red card for the first time this season. At Stoke City it was salt in the wounds but at home to Blackburn Rovers they were 2-0 up when Fred Onyedinma was sent off in the 50th minute, and drew 2-2.

"We learnt more about when we were down to 10 men, how we manage the game and cover the space," reflected Taylor. "Blackburn are so good at moving the ball, they're not a team to go down to 10 men against.

"I also felt in that 10-man performance the spirit was incredible. There were players literally on the floor in the end. I had to pick some of them up because they were absolutely worn out.

"That was a culmination of having to play on Tuesday and being down to 10 in the first game.

"But I don't want to look too far into that 10-man aspect because I don't want it to happen too much."

Although the fee which brought Tiehi from Slovan Liberec on a three-year deal with the option of a further 12 months is undisclosed, it is a Millers record. Taylor hopes it buys a Championship version of Manchester United's holding midfielder Casemiro.

"I try to be close (in style) to Yaya Toure when he played for Man City because he was a complete player in the middle of the pitch but the coach told me to watch Casemiro because I think he wants me to play like him," revealed Tiehi.

Doing that could give more freedom to Ben Wiles, Ollie Rathbone and Hakeem Odoffin, with Taylor saying: "He allows us to move other bodies in that midfield group further up the pitch.

"He's just turned 25 so he's a good age. A lot of the players we are trying to bring to our club on a permanent basis have to have a resale value in the future."

Onyedinma is banned against the Black Cats, whose winless start to the Championship campaign is misleading, says Taylor.

"They don't deserve to be on no points, they've been the better team in both games," he feels.