The centre-half had been exiled from the first-team squad by boss Steve Evans for most of December and it seemed that his time at AESSEAL New York Stadium was coming to an end.
He was brought back into the side as a defensive midfielder on New Year’s Day and has performed so well in his new position in the last two matches that his manager now wants him to stay.
“He’s taken to the role like a duck takes to water, to be fair,” Evans told the Advertiser. “If I get my way, he’ll be here after the window.”
Humphreys played for two seasons in the Championship in central defence for Rotherham and excelled in his first year with the club when he was a key figure in their second-tier survival.
This term in League One, he fell out of favour under Evans, who publicly criticised him for errors after defeats at Leyton Orient and Crawley Town and then excluded him from the matchday 18 for several matches.
The Millers’ best two performances of the campaign—the January 1 win at Lincoln City and the 0-0 draw at high-flying Huddersfield Town last Saturday—have coincided with his return.
Humphreys was man of the match against the Imps and impressed again against the Terriers.
“Cam playing like that is a huge asset to this club,” Evans said. “But he has to play like that. He has to play on the edge. He has to play a little bit quicker, but that will come—it’s a new position for the kid.”
Humphreys is in the last year of his contract and Evans accepts that the 26-year-old could move elsewhere if another side submitted a big enough offer.
“Every player has a value,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re at Rotherham United or Manchester United; everyone has a price.”
So far in this window, the Millers have seen four players depart and they have yet to bring anyone in.
Jamie McCart has moved to Hearts, the loans of Joe Hungbo and Esapa Osong have been cut short and Ciaran McGuckin has gone to Yeovil Town for the rest of the season.
Humphreys is expected to continue in midfield against Bolton Wanderers on Saturday, when Rotherham will be lacking the services of Christ Tiehi and Sean Raggett.
Midfielder Tiehi has a fractured cheekbone and centre-back Raggett has undergone keyhole surgery on a long-standing knee issue. Evans described the pair after the Huddersfield clash as being “about 10 days away.”.
The Millers are on Vertu Trophy action next Tuesday when they make the short trip down the M1 to take on Chesterfield with a place in the Northern quarterfinals at stake.
