The 21-year-old, who has been playing with non-league Frickley this season, has been training with the Millers over the last couple of weeks and has impressed Redfearn enough to earn a contract until the end of the 2015-16 campaign.
Lenighan is well known to the Millers boss, having been brought through the ranks at Elland Road, though never featured for the first team.
He made the headlines for the wrong reasons last year after being charged with rape, though was cleared at Doncaster Crown Court in February.
And Redfearn, who has been keeping tabs on Lenighan, is only too happy to offer him a second chance.
"Simon was one of the group
that got first-teaam exposure when I was at Leeds," he said. "He was in the group of
Charlie Taylor, Alex Mowatt, Lewis Cook. He was captain of the 18s and 21s and
he lost his way for whatever reason and found himself out of it.
"But before I got the
Rotherham job I knew Simon was out there and knew full well that if I got
another chance in football he was someone that I would look at because
potentially he is as good as the lads that are there and doing well at Leeds.
"That (the trial) got resolved, there;s not
an issue there any more. We have got a top young player who is young enough to
make an impact.
"He’s a central midfield player 6ft 3in, athletic, gets box to
box, technically very good.
"He is somebody that I had in and around the first
team at Leeds. He is more than capable and now he has an opportunity to go and
earn something else."
Despite never playing above Vanarama National League level, Redfearn is convinced Lenighan can do a job for his side and described it as a "measured gamble".
Despite never playing above Vanarama National League level, Redfearn is convinced Lenighan can do a job for his side and described it as a "measured gamble".
"The level he dropped down to
it was important that I saw the same player in there and there is and this is
an opportunity for him and he has to grasp it and he realises that.
"It’s a measured gamble because I know what he is capable of.
"It’s a measured gamble because I know what he is capable of.
"He is fit and available and
capable of playing at Championship level in my opinion but he has got to get
his around the newness of it, his team-mates and what we expect from him.
"But he’s got a head-start, he’s been playing football at not a bad level but he needs to get up to speed.
"But he’s got a head-start, he’s been playing football at not a bad level but he needs to get up to speed.
