Millers fans already know of Maguire's character

Rotherham fans first got a taste of Chris Maguire's character during that dramatic afternoon at New York Stadium in March, where Sheffield Wednesday staged a late, late show.

Maguire came off the bench with his former club 1-0 down and helped turn the tide, which eventually saw the Owls earn a 3-2 win with two goals in eight minutes of added time.

But along with his positivity down the right, he also showed his tenacity as after a spicy challenge on Daniel Lafferty he received a volley of abuse from blood-thirsty Millers fans located in the bottom corner of the West Stand and it carried on with his every touch afterwards.

Maguire did not shy away from it though and when Kieran Lee burst through and slotted home the winner for Wednesday, Maguire took great pleasure in giving a bit of stick back, gesturing to those same fans to be quiet.

That showed there to be a bit of bite to his personality and that is something that Millers boss Steve Evans was attracted to.

Although he is the 11^th summer signing at New York Stadium – and the third that was playing at Hillsborough last season – Maguire is not a last-minute option for Evans, who first had the former Owl on his wish list in April.

Patience has been a virtue for Evans, who finally got his man on a one-year deal on Friday.

“One of the most pleasing aspects of our business over recent weeks has been how many of the signings were on our list of targets that I drew up in April,” the Millers boss said.

“We’ve taken our time and not jumped in. We’ve been really measured and focused in our approach.

“Chris Maguire is a player I have admired since his days at Aberdeen and he was a lad that was on my targeted list of players at the end of last season.”

Evans often talks about players' personal qualities rather than technical ability when signing new players and he believes Maguire fits the bill – and his antics at New York last season may well back him up.

"He gives it everything, he cares, he has tremendous ability, he's got a yard of pace, although you wouldn't call him lightning quick, he scores, he plays on the edge - which is a quality I like - and he has character," Evans added.

"The lad can play as a number 10 or as a central striker. He can also play out wide, and he's a hard worker too."

Maguire is set to come face to face with those Millers fans for the first time when Leicester visit New York for a pre-season friendly on Wednesday night.