Getting to know Josh Sims: A profile of Doncaster Rovers' first deadline day signing

Here we take a look at Sims’ career so far.

Name: Joshua Samuel Sims

Born: March 28, 1997, Yeovil

SNAPPED UP YOUNG

Sims was a player in the Elite Training Centre academy in Southampton before being snapped up by the Saints as a 14-year-old.

HE MADE AN IMPACT ON DEBUT

On his first senior appearance for Southampton, Sims provided the assist for a Charlie Austin goal in a clash with Everton in November 2016 and went on to win the man of the match award on the day.

Soon after, he was given his first taste of European football as he featured in the Europa League tie with Hapoel Be’er Sheva. He finished that season under Claude Puel with 13 appearances in all competitions.

ANOTHER YOUTH INTERNATIONAL

Sims won England caps at U17 level through to the U20s and was part of the U17 squad that won the European Championship in 2014.

HE NEEDED TO FIGHT HIS WAY BACK

After his breakout season for Southampton, he suffered a knee injury in training which kept him out of action for nine months.

On his return, he made five appearances under Mauricio Pellegrino but saw his game time limited when Mark Hughes took charge late in the 2017/18 campaign to keep the Saints in the Premier League.

A REGAL FIRST LOAN

Sims joined Reading on a season-long loan in the summer of 2018 as he looked to continue his rebuild following his severe injury.

He worked with three different managers in six months and was limited to 18 appearances before Southampton opted to recall him in January 2019.

“Unfortunately, the football didn’t go how I wanted, but off the pitch I learned a lot and it was an eye-opener to see how other clubs work,” he said on his return.

He managed to make seven appearances for Southampton in the remainder of the season under Ralph Hasenhuttl.

HE SPENT TIME STATESIDE

Sims was loaned to New York Red Bulls in 2019 and saw his temporary stay extended into 2020 before the Covid-19 pandemic hit.

He grabbed his first professional goal during ten appearances for the MLS side.

Sims had the option to remain in New York when MLS was suspended due to Covid-19 but opted to end his loan in order to return home.

HE’S QUICK - VERY QUICK

Sims’ game is based on his pace, power and directness off the wings. This is perhaps best typified by his box to box run with the ball to set up Shane Long for the goal that saw Southampton beat Liverpool to reach the final of the League Cup in 2017.

WHAT THEY SAID

Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl: “I saw a little bit of quality but I did not know what is the best position for him, what are his biggest strengths and then you could see he has the quality of these deep runs and if you need this way of playing football he can be important for you.”

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