Ethan Erhahon insists he is relishing the ‘Rodri role’ at ambitious Lincoln City.
The former St Mirren midfielder has been a smash hit since moving to Sincil Bank in January 2023 for a reported £300,000 fee.
Director of football Jez George reckons he will bring in the Imps’ record transfer fee when he is eventually sold on. For now, Erhahon – who has made over 200 career appearances – is content being part of Lincoln’s push for the Sky Bet League One play-offs.
Michael Skubala’s outfit are fourth in the table and grabbed a late equaliser to earn a 1-1 draw with Blackpool on Tuesday night.
Ex-Buddie Erhahon is an ever-present with his defensive midfield performances catching the eye of all and sundry.
And the 23-year-old reckons he has the perfect role model in Rodri when it comes to getting even better.
“Rodri is not just one of the best defensive midfielders in the world, he’s one of the best players,” he said in an interview with The Football League Paper.
“You can see how important he is to Man City and I want to replicate that at Lincoln. He was player of the tournament at the Euros and he’s been touted for the Ballon d’Or.
“It is a specialist role and he’s brought it into the limelight. Everyone appreciates what he’s doing. For me, personally, it’s always nice to hear positive stuff about your game. I enjoy playing as a six – keeping the game moving and giving the ball to the more creative players!”
Erhahon adapted quickly to his new life down south and admitted it was vital he made the right move almost two years ago.
“It was a huge decision,” he added. “I had to go somewhere where I was going to play a lot of football. There was no point going to a team where I wasn’t going to play.
“I needed to go to a team that was going to trust me and play me. I was dying to come down here and I feel like I’ve improved but I think there’s a lot more to come. I’ve been learning on the job and the game’s a bit more fast-paced.
“In Scotland, you play every team at least three times and it can be a bit repetitive. Here, it’s only twice and you’re coming up against new players and coaches more often. It’s a huge challenge whether you are playing top or bottom.”
England’s League One is attracting millions of extra eyeballs this season with big-spending Birmingham City and Wrexham – owned by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney – generating plenty of stardust.
Erhahon isn’t fazed by the challenges which lie ahead and hopes to stay on that pair’s coat tails in pursuit of promotion.
“It can only be good for the league that Birmingham, Wrexham and others are spending a bit of money,” he said. Who doesn’t want to go to those clubs and take points off them? It’s a good challenge.
“We’ve made a good start and want to be pushing towards the play-offs this season. We want to use what happened last season [missing out on play-offs] to fuel us to go one better.”
Don’t miss the latestRenfrewshire headlines –sign up to our free daily newsletter here