Mark Hudson says fellow 33-year-old Dean Whitehead can make a big contribution to Huddersfield Town this season.
The former Middlesbrough midfielder has featured in every game so far.
And skipper Hudson said: “Dean’s an experienced player of the type we needed to get on board.
“He sits in the middle of the park and that’s something we’ve not had.”
Whitehead joined shortly before Conor Coady’s £2m move to Championship rivals Wolves.
But Hudson pointed out: “He’s a different type of player to Conor and you can see that right away.
“Conor is a creative type and a passer of the ball.
“Dean knows where to put himself to snuff things out before they develop and he will help us see games out.”
Manager Chris Powell has worked hard to improve Town’s ‘game management’.
And Hudson added: “We’ll always look to win games, but you have to balance that with ensuring you don’t lose them.
“It’s important to keep your shape and not give away too much ground.”
Hudson says Town will keep working hard to improving their defensive record.
“We’ve been saying for a while it’s not just the back four or five,” he said.
“We’ve got to defend as a team and we’ve been doing that.
“Something we’ve been working on is limiting teams as to the chances they get. That gives us a platform to attack.”
