Steven Reid has warned Blackburn fans not to expect him to fill the void created by the departure of Damien Duff.
Reid joined Rovers at the end of last month for £2.5 million sterling from Millwall and had been hoping to link up with his fellow Republic of Ireland international this season at Ewood Park, only for Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich to step in.
Reid is highly rated but he feels no-one could fill Duff's boots, saying: "I was a bit nervous when I first arrived, but I've quickly settled in.
"I've come here to learn, more than anything, particularly given the class players around me. I'm looking upon this as a massive challenge and a big opportunity for me to see what I can do, but also for me to improve as a player.
"It would've been better for me if Damien had been here. I spoke to him and he was going to show me around and we were going to go house hunting and things like that.
"But he's now gone in the opposite direction. It was likely he would get a massive move to a massive club and that's happened sooner rather than later, but good luck to him".
After six years with Millwall and 166 appearances, Reid (22) realised it was finally the time to move on, particularly to enhance his chances at international level.
Reid now feels he has the platform on which to add to his nine caps, especially as Souness's squad will be competing in this season's UEFA Cup.
"That was definitely one of the reasons why I chose Blackburn and hopefully we will go far in it and the European experience will bring me on as a player," he said.
"This is a good career move which has come at the right time because I didn't have the best of times at Millwall last season. I missed half the season through injury and we finished mid-table, but I believed in my own ability that one day I would get a chance in the Premiership".
PA