LATEST City recruit Jake Reeves can fill the big shoes left by Josh Cullen, insisted Stuart McCall today.

Reeves trained with his new team for the first time yesterday after signing from Wimbledon in a three-year deal for a fee understood to be worth at least £150,000.

The 24-year-old central midfielder is seen as the direct replacement for Cullen, who pulled the strings for City in back-to-back play-off campaigns.

It is a tough act to follow after the West Ham man's impressive Valley Parade record, losing only 12 of his 64 games on loan with the club.

Yet McCall is confident Reeves will take that responsibility in his stride and said: "He's a playmaker, gets on the ball and the crowd won't faze him. Jake's a confident lad, a good footballer and gets about the pitch.

"Josh did a fantastic job for us. He scored at the start of the season but obviously didn't get any more. Jake's not got a prolific goal-scoring record but he played in a different role.

"We want him to get in the box at all times and mix it up, as we did with Josh. We don't really play with a holding midfielder or a six. We don't like to pigeon-hole people. With the different ways we play and in the different areas, you've got to be flexible.

"Jake believes he can get up the pitch more and do more in forward areas than he's done last season. He's a good replacement."

Like Cullen, Reeves scored only once last season – but it was a momentous goal for Wimbledon in their first-ever win over MK Dons.

Wimbledon boss Neal Ardley was reluctant to lose a player he describes as one of the top midfielders in the division and City counterpart McCall said: "He will be a good fit for us in the centre of the park.

"We've watched Jake a few times, not just in games against us but also doing the scouting on Wimbledon prior to that.

"He was always the one that stood out in their side. He kept them ticking over, getting about the pitch, and you could see his enthusiasm and good passing range."