Gary McSheffrey was willing to wait to land the ideal left back for his squad and feels new signing James Maxwell ticks all the right boxes.
The 20-year-old has signed a two-year deal with Rovers after rejecting the chance to remain with Scottish football giants Rangers.
The left back slot was a priority position for McSheffrey and a successful trial with Rovers for Maxwell showed the first team manager he was the right choice.
“I think in left backs, they tend to have a quality left foot, good composure on the ball, and he just seems calm and a good decision maker,” McSheffrey said.
“His composure really impressed us and he gave us good balance down there.
“Straight away in training and in the couple of games, he got a good relationship with Tommy Rowe on the left, or whoever will be playing on that side in front of him.
“He was alert and alive on throw-ins, and you could see he was a quick thinker who knows the game.
“Game intelligence was a big one on the profile for that position and he ticks a lot of the boxes we want in a left back.”
While Maxwell is still a young player, he has almost 70 senior appearances to his name following loans in the Scottish Championship with Ayr United and Queen of the South.
McSheffrey said: “He’s dealt with disappointments in his young career already. He’s dealt with them and he’s been educated well at Rangers.
“He’s already got more than 50 games under his belt in men’s football with those two loans - for a 20-year-old that’s impressive.
“We did our research and due diligence on him with speaking to certain people at Rangers and people disappointed that he’s not still there.
“It shows he’s got some caliabre and he’s a good addition to the squad.”