Lewington 'better suited' to playing at centre back next season

Rusa sell Martin believes shifting Dean Lewington from left-back to centre-back will improve him as a player next season.

The 36-year-old has played more than 800 games at full-back, but is looking likely to be more commonly spotted at centre back from here on as Daniel Harvie looks set to take on the role on the left flank.

Martin looks to be heading towards having three centre backs with wing-backs, it means Lewington is having to get used to a position he has only played on a handful of occasions, and has admitted previous he does not enjoy as much.

However, the skipper says he is willing to make the transition after a chat with Martin, and Martin believes it will get the best out of Lewington.

"It is something I'd planned with Deano anyway, with the system we're looking at playing, I think it suits him better," said the manager. "I think he could probably play most positions with us because he's such an excellent footballer. He's a much better footballer than people give him credit for, he's better than I thought he was when I got here and he has shown in the last few weeks that he has probably been our best performer.

"He's the fastest learner we've got, he takes all the information on board, he's brilliant with the young players, he believes in what we're doing, and he knows he can't play every game for us. He's 36, and we play with a real intensity. But he's a big player for us again and he's an important part of it.

"He's thriving in the role, I think he has been excellent and I think he will keep improving. It's a different role we're asking Danny (Harvie) to play out there, and I think Deano could do it but I don't think it would suit him anywhere near as well."