Post by deadbat on May 29, 2022 6:07:40 GMT
2021/22 SUFC SEASON REVIEW / SCHOOL REPORT
Rest of week will be posted as below
Part 8 Final awards / Conclusions
Strikers
Billy Sharp Every year he gets wrote off and people say he won’t play or will move on and it seems like every year he proves people wrong. As the season finishes and like horses in the national almost, he was the last one standing as many others went out on loan, got injured, lost form or were not used. I thought we would see McBurnie, Brewster, McGoldrick and even maybe Mousset or Jebbison more than him but then as the season started, he ended up scoring our first goal and then despite the change in formation, Slav realised he still had a lot to contribute and even when he was not scoring, he started to show other aspects to his game and was assisting, running the channels and offering that veteran experience. He still was the main threat when he played and yes whilst he did miss chances, he also scored a fair few and a lot more than most others!
The team struggled but he still weighed in with important goals and continued to annoy and wind up away fans (Derby last minute penalty). When Hecky came in then the goals started to flow more as we played more attacking and went forward quicker. He went on a great run and scored some poachers goals (Bristol City/Boro home and Peterborough away) but also some really good finishes like the one at home to West Brom. He scored the one-on-one finishes (Birmingham away and Swansea at home). Still seemed very much the leader and was always captain when he played and you felt when he was at it and up for it, the team normally followed and this was shown on our steady rise up the league. He never had a regular partner either but was able to still work with different players but the understanding he showed with Gibbs White was excellent and they both worked well despite being at different ends of the age spectrum.
When he got an injury just before the break, on top of all the other injured forwards, you worried and we did struggle that next period. He came back off the bench against Cardiff and looked good in a cameo but then tore his calf in training the next Monday. This was a big blow for him and the club and we did not see him again which was a big loss in the run in of course. He never came back and the biggest story around him was being assaulted at the end of the playoffs.
He deservedly got a new contract, even at 36, when you felt this might be his last year. We will see some move on this summer and may be left with just him, McBurnie and Brewster as strikers under contract as you expect a few to move on being out of contract, favour or young players needing more experience on loan. We will need to sign at least 1-2 more strikers to compliment them and I will say what I say ever year, you expect he will play less and not be a regular but I have said that for the last few years and he keeps proving me wrong. Clearly looked after himself and a fantastic pro, representative and ambassador for our football club. When he leaves, we will realise how lucky we were to have him. Represents so many things that you want in a footballer and United fans should soak up every game/goal as sadly it will not go on forever even though it feels like it!
Grade B+ (Last season C-)
David McGoldrick McGoldrick has just completed his fourth season at the club. It seems like he has been here much longer and I do not mean that as a critical thing. His impact in the promotion season cannot be understated, nor can his efforts in that first season back even though he simply could not score! Even last season when we struggled and he still of course missed lots of chances, he was still one of our few players who came out with much credit and ended up our leading scored and rivalled Ramsdale for player of the season.
I still felt he was the one trying to make things happen even if sometimes his games or decision making was not quite the best but he kept trying and never hid and for the most part still made better decisions than the rest of his teammates. The amount of effort he put in put many other strikers and players in the side to shame. He retired from international duty where he was excellent for his country with most fans really disappointed, when he called it a day.
As Jokanovic came in, you sort of worried where he would fit in the new formation, we played but he still started the season but struggled in a slightly odd role to the right/left of a striker and we had a poor start. He came out of the side and picked up an injury and was on the bench for a period when he did come back. He came on and helped change the game against Stoke, setting up the leveller and scoring the winner. However, he was not great against Millwall when given a start and then was back out of the side used mostly off the bench as Slav preferred others and tried to somehow find players who could fit what he wanted. Ndiaye and Gibbs White had come in of course and Sharp was still continuing to look the best forward in the club. He did play in Slav’s final game at Reading and then was very good in the Bristol City win, Heckingbottom’s first game. He followed up with a goal at Cardiff but then was in and out with a few knocks and Brewster starting to have an impact too. He did play well against West Brom but then seemed to stretch himself and was in a lot of pain. It was revealed he would be out for the season which was a huge low. He had been more at home under Hecky and starting to have an influence again as we played a formation, we were more familiar with.
Sadly, that was that. Out of contract it was always going to be doubtful he would return next season anyway and he had a stop start, injury prone season. It is remarkable after all the injuries he had stayed largely fit for three seasons but maybe all the injuries he had previously and his age has caught up with him. A fantastic footballer on his day and seems a top bloke, sentimentally would have loved him to remain for a year but financially and probably football wise (even though on his day can still be fantastic) it would be the wrong move and the club were right to release him. Shame we are unlikely to see him again. 35 this year, you think it might be a stretch for a Championship club to give him a deal but if he can get fit, pace was never his strength so would be a fantastic asset to a League One club for a season or two. Didzy will always be a big Blades favourite and part of an incredible period for the club. Was a sad day when it was announced he was no longer a Blade but got a great reception against Forest.
Grade C (Last season B-)
Iliman Ndiaye Ndiaye was the one post Xmas last season who seemed to be involved the most in the first team squad out of al the youngsters until Jebbison came along. Ndiaye was continually on the bench and eventually came on in difficult circumstances at Leicester. Scored and played well for the u23s and seen as a really good prospect but then it emerged there were some contract issues and he did not play at the end of the season and was not involved preseason or around the first team. It seemed for whatever the rights and wrongs, United would not pick him until the contract issue was sorted. Then after we struggled, maybe United saw they had something within and would be like a new signing as the coaching staff said when finally, we got his situation sorted. I thought he may be around the bench but went straight in against Peterborough and instantly linked with Gibbs White to give us a creativity and link play we had not seen. Scored twice, showed some lovely skill, pace and strength on the ball. Very adept at running with it and dribbling and offered qualities we did not have in the squad. He was not really an out and out striker, although played high up the field in his opening games or a midfielder and more of a number 10 I suppose? He played a run of games so impressive he was but due to never played ‘men’s’ football at any level professionally, he came off a fair bit at the end of games suffering with cramp and fatigue. It was really impressive how he came on and showed no fear. He had low centre of gravity, lovely skills and could get us up the field or out of tight areas.
He did drop off for a period and we went with other players as we looked for combinations and Gibbs White then ended up playing off the striker/s. He then got a rare start at Fulham and scored a fantastic goal that got us an unlikely win and was man of the match. He then made four straight games in wins after Xmas but not sure how effective he was and after a few poor away showings where he contributed little at Huddersfield and Millwall, he was back on the bench. He also missed a few big chances in games including one against West Brom. He returned and scored twice including a big goal v Cardiff but missed chances too. Still, he scored another big goal at QPR and a cool finish v Fulham and ended with 4/6 games in terms of goals to end the season. Showed real flashes against Forest and finally lasted a game but then did miss some chances too.
I was disappointed that he did not quite push on mid-season maybe but did have a really good run at the end of the season and his quality was two book ends in terms of the start/end v the poor middle spell where he was out of the team or did not take his chances. At times you thought we have a real talent and then he dipped out. He does have lots of natural ability and it is his first ever proper season.. With the ability he has I feel confident he can get that consistency but needs to get stronger fitness wise. With Gibbs White going back you would think, there is an opportunity for him. At 22, along with Brewster, Bogle, you see 3 key young pieces to build around.
Grade B (Last season NA)
Morgan Gibbs White A player that I always liked the look at when I saw bits and pieces of him at Wolves. He did ok at Swansea but nothing remarkable in the same way maybe Brewster did there. I always thought he was more of a central midfield player who could play slightly further forward. When we signed him, we realised quickly where his talents lie in terms of being in that number 10 or just off the forwards and picking up the pieces and getting on the ball. I thought it was a bit of a coup to get him as seemed on the fringes at Wolves even this season when he played a few games in the Premier League.
He came in and had an instant impact and along with Ndiaye and they linked superbly in that big win at Peterborough, scoring a great goal and assisting on others. He followed up with another goal in the next game v Preston and then assisted for Sharp at Hull. He was a bright spot and helped us at least get some points on the board, even if the performances remained patchy as we chopped and changed trying to find the right line up but he was always picked such was his impact either as a striker, off the striker or in that creative midfield role. He did have a silly sending off v Millwall for two yellows and we saw some of the Premier League theatrics (diving) sadly which I did not like but for the most part he grafted and worked hard as well as showing some delightful tricks and combination play with lots of players such as Ndiaye, Sharp, Brewster, Bogle and others. He became our ‘go to guy’ and as Hecky came in, he continued to be important in the rise up the league. Scored some brilliant goals such as the one at Cardiff and then the incredible backwards flick v Boro in a game in which he was pretty much unplayable. He also put in some brilliant crosses (to Sharp v Forest, to Ndiaye v Cardiff) to name a few. You always felt he might have a moment of magic. At times you would get annoyed by overplaying but he kept trying things and was always positive and therefore good things would more than often result. Scored and was excellent in the play off clinching win v Fulham and we had him for a bit longer but had to do too much v Forest and it did not happen and you saw how much it hurt him as he trooped off after the defeat at the Lane. Came back strong with a great showing full of ability, work rate and sheer will to win in the return but then missed a penalty with his last kick but he was not the villain and most fans were just sad to see him go.
The thing I loved about him even more than his ability, goals and the way he takes the ball and goes forward all the time – is his work rate and ability to chase/harry and do those little things for the team. That is not something you always see in a loan player. He has undoubtedly been one of our stands outs and for me the leading light this season. Even when we had off games or injuries you felt he would do something and I loved watching him play. We do not tend to have players like this down the Lane (that is probably as we seem to at best have hard working players rather than lots of naturally gifted ones – he was a bit of both!). If course he will go back to Wolves and sure he will have to be more consistent (even saw the odd awful game down here) to be a regular there and add consistency and maybe keep to the basics too as well as the ‘flicks and tricks’ we all love. He was linked with AC Milan and you wonder if others will try and test them with a bid as now he needs to be playing.
We will see next season without him what a loss he will be. In an ideal world we would have gone up, bought him or got him for another season on loan but sadly he will depart but sure he will always remember his spell here fondly as we do too.
Grade A- (Last season NA)
Oli McBurnie He did ok in that first season (like Mousset). 6 goals is not much but he contributed and I expected him to start and push on last season but it never happened. He scored that one goal against Leicester but has not scored since which is incredible. I know he has not played much but not score in any level of league football even lower down at this level is not a great inditement of his play. I thought he would be our main striker with others contending to start alongside him but Sharp, McGoldrick and Brewster all had more impressive seasons albeit truncated due to injury in the case of the latter two. Even Mousset had a run of games and goals even for a very limited period. He started 9 (up to Reading) and mostly he was used as a bit part player off the bench. He had a few hard-working games but never really looked like scoring, the ball bounced away from him a lot and he barely had an effort on goal all season. His main strength seemed to be barrelling into players to show he was about and winning defensive headers. His lack of pace also meant he often had to come deep and meant when he did play, we almost did not have a centre forward as Gibbs White came deep too. He got booed and then cheered in separate games but ultimately his season was ended with another injury – another major issues is that he cannot stay fit.
We also have the social media incident/fight in Knaresborough and the events on the pitch at the City Ground and which whilst many defended him and he did get targeted, it is worrying that he seems drawn to these sorts of incidents. His stance on covid/vaccination meant he was not always available or out isolating as rules changed at different times. He always seemed to have an injury or be ill and lacking in match fitness and ability to play a run of games even if he was selected.
Hecky keeps saying he just needs a run to score but not sure that is true, he does not always get into the box or into those areas. At least McGoldrick and even others miss things. Not sure I can remember many bad misses? When he gets into areas, he lacks power to execute basic headers or shots and it sort of dies as he makes contact. Just does not seem a natural striker and as much as everyone harps on about that one season at Swansea, that was one season and he has barely scored since (did not before much either albeit starting out other than a loan spell at Barnsley). I am not convinced it will ever work out. If the club had received a bid from Wolves, then they will have probably regretted turning it down. They maybe thought at this lower level he would be a real threat but it has not worked out. Injuries, poor decisions off the field (training regime seems poor – he never gets stronger/fitter and looks weak for a player who should be entering his peak) and his performances and lack of impact means he seems set to continue being a bit part player. With McGoldrick, Burke, Mousset, Gibbs White maybe all leaving then that could leave just him, Brewster and Sharp (Jebbison may go on loan again I would think?) but if that is the case, I would be worried they are the only three strikers they have got due to Sharp’s age and other two’s appearance and goal record the last 2 seasons. I would want us to sign at least one, possibly two more.
At the end of the day, we paid a lot of money for him. I do not think it is down to work ethic or him not trying, I just think he is not good enough and has been a really poor signing that I feel ultimately will end up playing most of his career in the lower leagues and people will wonder why he went for so much money. Hope I am wrong. He still has a year left of his deal but I would not be surprised in a year if following another ineffective, injury hit season we are talking about shedding his wages and him leaving with sadly nothing to show for a huge fee.
Grade F (Last season E-)
Oliver Burke Burke had not had much impact at all since he was exchanged for the equally under whelming Callum Robinson. Burke showed pace but little else with poor control, finishing and football brain as he was in and out of a side rock bottom. He quickly became a bit of a laughing stock such was his complete lack of football awareness. He ended up playing a fair few games as we sought something up top and did score the winner at Old Trafford, one of thew few, maybe only highlight of his career so far at the Lane. With a number of strikers around, you thought he would be a fair way down the pecking order this season but out of the ‘6’ senior strikers, he ended up starting with McGoldrick and Brewster against Birmingham. The one advantage he had was he can play wide and has pace, something Jokanovic has traditionally craved in his sides. He hit the post with a decent effort in that first game but after another start at Swansea, he only began games in the Carabao Cup.
He then got an injury (as it did a lot of our strikers this season) and never seemed fit. We got told he would be back but he only had the odd game as an unused sub and I think the last time he was on the bench was at Preston. There were rumours he would go back in August with Blackburn interested allegedly and it fell through by all accounts. We had Middlesbrough linked with him I think under both Warnock and Wilder but that never happened. Eventually he went to Millwall in mid-January and came on and set up a goal I think early on in his spell but he then got injured again and was out. He did get back in and score a kneed finish against Barnsley. The Lions fans thought he had been ok and his pace and running had been a good outlet. He scored another vital goal at Birmingham as Millwall ironically started being one of our main challengers but they did not make it and he was back posing in Instagram in his erm…interesting selection of clothing.
The loan move was not the worst move, even though in a weird way we could have used him with all the injuries that came after but Heckingbottom talked about addition by subtraction not in terms of ability but the team spirit and you wondered about his (and others who departed) attitude? He still had a year left but like with Lowe, if we get any kind of bid, I would move him on and hope Millwall are daft enough to the club that sees something in him, as so many have done before to be fair! If he comes back not sure where he fits at all and you would expect him to go on loan again and see out his contract to next summer. The fact we managed to sign Robinson for 7 or 8 million, then swap him for Burke (albeit with a bit of cash coming to us) and parlay all that into nothing in terms of financial gain or real impact from either on the pitch is one of Wilder’s poorest moves at the club.
Grade E- (Last season E)
Lys Mousset I said last year that ‘how that I felt talent wise he should be our number one striker and that he had got the lot to be a top striker but his head does not always seem to be right and he is woefully inconsistent and quite ill-disciplined when he plays. He also seems to never be fully fit and cannot last a full game.’ I went on to say that: ‘He did contribute quite well that first year but now I do not see a future for him at the Lane. He definitely faces an uncertain future as a footballer never mind top level.’ Fast forward a year and nothing has changed and that is why he will depart the Lane as his contract is up.
For the last few seasons, we have said if he can stay fit and take the game seriously, talent wise he has so much to offer – strong, fast and a good finisher and at times quite an intelligent footballer. He came back for pre season and there was hope Jokanovic might get something out of him and he started the first game but of course he got injured. That was him done until early October when he came on at Bournemouth and somehow hit the bar from close range with a header. He did score at home to Stoke off the bench and then scored two clinical finishes at Barnsley including a brilliant individual strike. Once again you wrongly think, has the penny dropped and he knows it is the last chance saloon for him at the club. He played the next two games against Blackpool and Forest but was ineffectual and then other than a sub appearance at Blackburn, I am not sure he saw the field again.
Heckingbottom seemed as frustrated with him as we were talking about his inability to stay fit. I thought in an indirect way he took quite a few shots at him not taking the game seriously and questioned his professionalism. For him never to have played a full 90 minutes since he came to the UK is staggering and testament to what a poor career, he has had over here despite two big money signings and club seeing undoubted natural ability twinned with power and pace.
In the end we saw a chance to save some wages and move him out of the club with his presence probably not great for young players to see in terms of commitment to the cause. Salernitana in Italy somewhat surprisingly felt he was one of the men to help partner Franck Ribery and turn the struggling side round in Serie A. Mousset arrived by private jet with his entourage but his debut saw him concede a penalty and get subbed. He only played a few games and other than one assist, he did not really impress at all and once again got injured and was never seen again as his team oddly improved! There is no doubt that he will not be signed by his loan club and now will depart the Lane and you would think have to go back to France to try and kick start his career. Sadly he had probably earned enough from the game and two lucrative moves in the last 4 or 5 years to be comfortable. He is only 26 and it is irritating that someone with so much ability is effectively chucking his career away due to not working hard, looking after himself and applying himself. He did have a good impact for 2 or 3 months in that first Premier League season but like with Freeman, Robinson, Burke and so far, McBurnie, their spells at the Lane were hugely overwhelming and a waste of valuable resources.
Grade E (Last season F-)
Rhian Brewster United’s record signing came into this season with a lot of questions after a scoreless and disappointing Premier League campaign where he became the butt of jokes to casual football fans due to the amount of money he cost and his lack of impact. I wrote the following in my notes last season:
‘At the moment I am struggling to see what kind of striker he is. Again, may seem harsh but he seems to have a decent shot but is not a runner, not a link man, not a hustling player, not a box player and not really a player that comes deep or conversely is the shoulders of the last defender. For 23 million pounds regardless of his age and inexperience I expected to see something/anything really but have seen very little for all those blaming service or the fact he is inexperienced. I want some of the basics to be done firstly and he has to work harder for the side. Maybe at Chelsea, Liverpool and Swansea, even with the younger teams, his teams were winning and he did not have to do the hard yards and just be there to finish chances off?
He is young though and hopefully with some time to regroup and come back he will be able to make more of an impact next season. At the moment looks miles off though. I think if Wilder and the club had their time back, they would have only signed him on loan though and in all likelihood, he would have been sent back in January. We have him for 4 seasons now and a long contract so somehow, we have to get something out of him.’
So fast forward to now and what did we see of him albeit in a truncated season due to injury. Well, he started on the bench but did ok against Birmingham before finally scoring against Carlisle in the League Cup. He then had little impact in future games as he was in and out of the team. He ended up in a wide role which was clearly not his position. Jokanovic tried to find a role for him but he still was not having much impact and was more out of the team than in it. He struggled to look much of a threat but then not many did in the way we played. Some criticised his effort but I felt he was trying but it was just not happening. He did score his first league goal, a great strike at Blackburn and then around the time of the managerial change, things started to click. He scored against Bristol City and looked dangerous, running behind defenders. He managed to get beyond the last man twice, at Preston and at home to Luton, leading to two red cards and he scored in the latter game. Finally, he was looking a threat and seemed to be playing on the shoulder of the last man, moving into good areas and causing defences problems. His work ethic also endeared him to the crowd. He was still a long way from what we thought we had signed but as a young lad still, we were finally seeing something after 15-16 months of nothing. It was just our luck that the next game at Peterborough he got a bad injury (had a hamstring issue before but this was worse than this) and that was it; his season was done. Saw him around the Lane on crutches and we hoped he would recover for next season of course.
I felt he was just not the player we thought but finally we did see flashes for a period and I thought we might have something so the timing of the injury was really annoying. With a number of strikers moving on then you would think he has a chance to establish himself but must come back fit and firing to start the season. I am still not fully convinced what type of striker he is but ultimately he started to look a threat and score goals and you compare him to McBurnie, Burke and even McGoldrick as harsh as the latter sounds, the idea a ball might drop to a striker or he may get in a position to score, is something we have to quietly excited about moving forward. Only just 22 so there is a lot of time for him to develop too.
Grade C (Last season F)
Daniel Jebbison Burst onto the scene at the end of the Premier League campaign as we opted to blood him and he scored at Everton and played a run of games right at the end of the season. Suddenly he was getting linked with lots of clubs and at one stage we had Borrussia Dortmund, Real Madrid, Barcelona and a host of Premier League clubs apparently having an interest! It was a strange one as despite his impact, we still had a number of strikers ahead of him in terms of experience/cost so it was unsure if we would use him. Jokanovic felt that he needed some games and would not be close to playing regular at this level yet and so he ended up at Burton on loan. Faced with the chance of learning from Hasselbaink, it seemed a good move for all.
He made his debut in September and scored his first goal at the end of the month. He started games but was also used off the bench but gradually started to score regularly and became a real threat with the Burton fans impressed by his pace, strong running and some good finishing. He got 9 goals in 19 games in all competitions and was becoming a key man. He was not the finished article and at times he would get taken off or be used off the bench but clearly was developing. There was talk of whether we should bring him back but most felt he was better staying there for the season. Sadly, we had our hand forced as we had a plethora of injuries and it meant we had to bring him back, as much for cover/insurance with so many forwards not available.
After he came back and MCBurnie and other struggled, the demand for him to play increased but after a few cameos off the bench, this noise quietened as they saw he was maybe a long way off from being a regular at this level. His pressing and running helped us against Forest but in other games he looked a long way short and struggled at Stoke and against QPR/Reading when used and then Osula jumped ahead of him. Seemed to not quite link with others or know where to run and got outmuscled a fair bit. Even Hecky conceded he was a long way off but playing out of necessity. Some thought he would come back and score and be a real threat and even start to play regularly due to what he had done in that brief run in the Premier League and the promise at Burton, but we saw that was not the case. He needs to go out on loan for another year for me and maybe even back to Burton. I think we will need new strikers this summer to compete with a few outgoing but he is not ready yet.
Despite being born in Canada and was involved in some provisional junior squads for them, he has been involved for the England under 18’s and under 19’s.
Grade D- (Last season C+)
William Osula Danish player who has played for his country’s various international sides at his respective age group. He won a talent contest at Man Utd before the Blades picked him up. He had not played much for either the u18’s or the u23’s last season with a few injuries but did have a late run in both sides and scored a few for the u23’s and looks big and strong. Scored a 9-minute hat trick v Ipswich in the play-off semi-final for the u23’s at the end of 2020-21. He then got on the bench for the last 1st team game of the season against Burnley last season.
This season seemed a bit stop start too with injuries as well and only got back into the u23’s fully after Xmas and played less than double figure games for them but scored a fair few. Big lad who is quite muscular and mobile when I have seen him. He clearly impressed Heckingbottom when he was with the academy/u23’s to the extent that after he got back playing, he was called up the first team squad. We had a lot of strikers out but still a bit of a surprise he was named on the bench for a few games. He got only briefly at Blackpool and then at Stoke when he played longer and did ok putting himself about as United did not really look like scoring. He was not involved the next few games as McBurnie and then Sharp got back fit but at 18 but then came back ahead of Jebbison and did quite well at Bristol City and came on again at QPR and against Fulham. One you would like to see get some loan time next season in ‘men’s’ football but looks to have good raw talents.
Tyler Smith Smith had been successful in the Academy scoring a number of goals and then had loan spells at Barrow where he scored 23 in 10. This was National League level so United rightly moved him onto a higher division on loan and he moved onto Doncaster, Bristol Rovers and Rochdale. He did not have the same impact only netting 6 in 38 and was never really a regular at any of the clubs really after starting well at them all. He went to Swindon last season and began well scoring goals in preseason and to open the campaign. He got 7 goals up to December 1st but then was not really a regular after this. He came back to United and with a season left of his contract, knew it was a pivotal season. He ended up being involved pre season and then started against Carlisle and set up the goal for Brewster. He did not even make the bench after this though as we had a number of attacking players (ironically if he had remained, he may have been used towards the end of the season due to what happened with outgoing players and injuries!).
A few clubs were being linked with him at the end of August and he moved to Hull on a 2 year deal for an undisclosed fee which probably was not a lot but protected us if he moved on again. He instantly went in the team and had a goal disallowed against us actually but struggled to find the net and was in and out. He did score against Everton on TV but the league goals did not come even though he was working hard for the team according to fans. He finally scored a league goal at Peterborough in February but he was never a guaranteed starter. Like with Slater, he has found a home and at a decent level so will hopefully for him have a good pre season and can be more of a regular/scorer next time out.
Next season
McGoldrick and Mousset move on and leaves us with 4/5 senior strikers in Sharp, Brewster, McBurnie and Burke and then Ndiaye who can play there but probably someone who plays just behind better. I think that McBurnie and Burke would be moved on if we got a taker. I can see either or both playing out their final days (this season) as a Blade on loan somewhere. It has not happened anywhere for Burke for a number of years and feel he will be move to the lower leagues soon. This is something I feel may happen to McBurnie too – he may go on loan to a Championship team and then if he does nothing there, then clubs will realise this lad had maybe a season (and a half if you count Barnsley) out of 4 or 5 years and is not a player that can make a meaningful impact even at this level (the Swansea season is a while ago). I am not sure we will see much of him but depends if anyone wants him - based on such poor form maybe now? Jebbison and Osula need a season out on loan. I hope the pair can get a League One team to take them on.
Sharp will be around and will still amaze with the number of games he plays and goals he scores but you do feel he will definitely not play every week (I have said it every year but this time I will surely be right?). Brewster hopefully can carry on his improvements and be fit and raring to go pre season and Ndiaye has shown he can be a real talent. We still need at least one, possibly two strikers. I would like a target man type that offers us some physicality up there in terms of hold up and maybe we need some creativity and skill with that to offset the MGW/McGoldrick loss even though Ndiaye has shown he can do this role. I think we have a good oldie and two good youngsters (Ndiaye and Brewster) but will need some signings in here. You would think two midfielders and two strikers are the minimum we need as we somehow need to replace the goals and brilliance of Gibbs White also who featured so much at this end of the field.
Player / Position Years remaining (contract expires) Red this year – Orange next year - Green longer contract –
Forwards
David McGoldrick Out of contract (2022) - released
Lys Mousset Out of contract (2022) – released
Billy Sharp 1 year (2023)
Oliver Burke 1 year (2023)
Oli McBurnie 1 year (2023)
Iliman Ndiaye 2 years (2024)
Rhian Brewster 3 years (2025)
Youngsters involved in 1st team last season or loans out (contracts unknown if not stated)
Daniel Jebbison 1 year (2023)
Will Osula 1 year (2023)
Return to loan club:
Morgan Gibbs White (Wolves)
Rest of week will be posted as below
Part 8 Final awards / Conclusions
Strikers
Billy Sharp Every year he gets wrote off and people say he won’t play or will move on and it seems like every year he proves people wrong. As the season finishes and like horses in the national almost, he was the last one standing as many others went out on loan, got injured, lost form or were not used. I thought we would see McBurnie, Brewster, McGoldrick and even maybe Mousset or Jebbison more than him but then as the season started, he ended up scoring our first goal and then despite the change in formation, Slav realised he still had a lot to contribute and even when he was not scoring, he started to show other aspects to his game and was assisting, running the channels and offering that veteran experience. He still was the main threat when he played and yes whilst he did miss chances, he also scored a fair few and a lot more than most others!
The team struggled but he still weighed in with important goals and continued to annoy and wind up away fans (Derby last minute penalty). When Hecky came in then the goals started to flow more as we played more attacking and went forward quicker. He went on a great run and scored some poachers goals (Bristol City/Boro home and Peterborough away) but also some really good finishes like the one at home to West Brom. He scored the one-on-one finishes (Birmingham away and Swansea at home). Still seemed very much the leader and was always captain when he played and you felt when he was at it and up for it, the team normally followed and this was shown on our steady rise up the league. He never had a regular partner either but was able to still work with different players but the understanding he showed with Gibbs White was excellent and they both worked well despite being at different ends of the age spectrum.
When he got an injury just before the break, on top of all the other injured forwards, you worried and we did struggle that next period. He came back off the bench against Cardiff and looked good in a cameo but then tore his calf in training the next Monday. This was a big blow for him and the club and we did not see him again which was a big loss in the run in of course. He never came back and the biggest story around him was being assaulted at the end of the playoffs.
He deservedly got a new contract, even at 36, when you felt this might be his last year. We will see some move on this summer and may be left with just him, McBurnie and Brewster as strikers under contract as you expect a few to move on being out of contract, favour or young players needing more experience on loan. We will need to sign at least 1-2 more strikers to compliment them and I will say what I say ever year, you expect he will play less and not be a regular but I have said that for the last few years and he keeps proving me wrong. Clearly looked after himself and a fantastic pro, representative and ambassador for our football club. When he leaves, we will realise how lucky we were to have him. Represents so many things that you want in a footballer and United fans should soak up every game/goal as sadly it will not go on forever even though it feels like it!
Grade B+ (Last season C-)
David McGoldrick McGoldrick has just completed his fourth season at the club. It seems like he has been here much longer and I do not mean that as a critical thing. His impact in the promotion season cannot be understated, nor can his efforts in that first season back even though he simply could not score! Even last season when we struggled and he still of course missed lots of chances, he was still one of our few players who came out with much credit and ended up our leading scored and rivalled Ramsdale for player of the season.
I still felt he was the one trying to make things happen even if sometimes his games or decision making was not quite the best but he kept trying and never hid and for the most part still made better decisions than the rest of his teammates. The amount of effort he put in put many other strikers and players in the side to shame. He retired from international duty where he was excellent for his country with most fans really disappointed, when he called it a day.
As Jokanovic came in, you sort of worried where he would fit in the new formation, we played but he still started the season but struggled in a slightly odd role to the right/left of a striker and we had a poor start. He came out of the side and picked up an injury and was on the bench for a period when he did come back. He came on and helped change the game against Stoke, setting up the leveller and scoring the winner. However, he was not great against Millwall when given a start and then was back out of the side used mostly off the bench as Slav preferred others and tried to somehow find players who could fit what he wanted. Ndiaye and Gibbs White had come in of course and Sharp was still continuing to look the best forward in the club. He did play in Slav’s final game at Reading and then was very good in the Bristol City win, Heckingbottom’s first game. He followed up with a goal at Cardiff but then was in and out with a few knocks and Brewster starting to have an impact too. He did play well against West Brom but then seemed to stretch himself and was in a lot of pain. It was revealed he would be out for the season which was a huge low. He had been more at home under Hecky and starting to have an influence again as we played a formation, we were more familiar with.
Sadly, that was that. Out of contract it was always going to be doubtful he would return next season anyway and he had a stop start, injury prone season. It is remarkable after all the injuries he had stayed largely fit for three seasons but maybe all the injuries he had previously and his age has caught up with him. A fantastic footballer on his day and seems a top bloke, sentimentally would have loved him to remain for a year but financially and probably football wise (even though on his day can still be fantastic) it would be the wrong move and the club were right to release him. Shame we are unlikely to see him again. 35 this year, you think it might be a stretch for a Championship club to give him a deal but if he can get fit, pace was never his strength so would be a fantastic asset to a League One club for a season or two. Didzy will always be a big Blades favourite and part of an incredible period for the club. Was a sad day when it was announced he was no longer a Blade but got a great reception against Forest.
Grade C (Last season B-)
Iliman Ndiaye Ndiaye was the one post Xmas last season who seemed to be involved the most in the first team squad out of al the youngsters until Jebbison came along. Ndiaye was continually on the bench and eventually came on in difficult circumstances at Leicester. Scored and played well for the u23s and seen as a really good prospect but then it emerged there were some contract issues and he did not play at the end of the season and was not involved preseason or around the first team. It seemed for whatever the rights and wrongs, United would not pick him until the contract issue was sorted. Then after we struggled, maybe United saw they had something within and would be like a new signing as the coaching staff said when finally, we got his situation sorted. I thought he may be around the bench but went straight in against Peterborough and instantly linked with Gibbs White to give us a creativity and link play we had not seen. Scored twice, showed some lovely skill, pace and strength on the ball. Very adept at running with it and dribbling and offered qualities we did not have in the squad. He was not really an out and out striker, although played high up the field in his opening games or a midfielder and more of a number 10 I suppose? He played a run of games so impressive he was but due to never played ‘men’s’ football at any level professionally, he came off a fair bit at the end of games suffering with cramp and fatigue. It was really impressive how he came on and showed no fear. He had low centre of gravity, lovely skills and could get us up the field or out of tight areas.
He did drop off for a period and we went with other players as we looked for combinations and Gibbs White then ended up playing off the striker/s. He then got a rare start at Fulham and scored a fantastic goal that got us an unlikely win and was man of the match. He then made four straight games in wins after Xmas but not sure how effective he was and after a few poor away showings where he contributed little at Huddersfield and Millwall, he was back on the bench. He also missed a few big chances in games including one against West Brom. He returned and scored twice including a big goal v Cardiff but missed chances too. Still, he scored another big goal at QPR and a cool finish v Fulham and ended with 4/6 games in terms of goals to end the season. Showed real flashes against Forest and finally lasted a game but then did miss some chances too.
I was disappointed that he did not quite push on mid-season maybe but did have a really good run at the end of the season and his quality was two book ends in terms of the start/end v the poor middle spell where he was out of the team or did not take his chances. At times you thought we have a real talent and then he dipped out. He does have lots of natural ability and it is his first ever proper season.. With the ability he has I feel confident he can get that consistency but needs to get stronger fitness wise. With Gibbs White going back you would think, there is an opportunity for him. At 22, along with Brewster, Bogle, you see 3 key young pieces to build around.
Grade B (Last season NA)
Morgan Gibbs White A player that I always liked the look at when I saw bits and pieces of him at Wolves. He did ok at Swansea but nothing remarkable in the same way maybe Brewster did there. I always thought he was more of a central midfield player who could play slightly further forward. When we signed him, we realised quickly where his talents lie in terms of being in that number 10 or just off the forwards and picking up the pieces and getting on the ball. I thought it was a bit of a coup to get him as seemed on the fringes at Wolves even this season when he played a few games in the Premier League.
He came in and had an instant impact and along with Ndiaye and they linked superbly in that big win at Peterborough, scoring a great goal and assisting on others. He followed up with another goal in the next game v Preston and then assisted for Sharp at Hull. He was a bright spot and helped us at least get some points on the board, even if the performances remained patchy as we chopped and changed trying to find the right line up but he was always picked such was his impact either as a striker, off the striker or in that creative midfield role. He did have a silly sending off v Millwall for two yellows and we saw some of the Premier League theatrics (diving) sadly which I did not like but for the most part he grafted and worked hard as well as showing some delightful tricks and combination play with lots of players such as Ndiaye, Sharp, Brewster, Bogle and others. He became our ‘go to guy’ and as Hecky came in, he continued to be important in the rise up the league. Scored some brilliant goals such as the one at Cardiff and then the incredible backwards flick v Boro in a game in which he was pretty much unplayable. He also put in some brilliant crosses (to Sharp v Forest, to Ndiaye v Cardiff) to name a few. You always felt he might have a moment of magic. At times you would get annoyed by overplaying but he kept trying things and was always positive and therefore good things would more than often result. Scored and was excellent in the play off clinching win v Fulham and we had him for a bit longer but had to do too much v Forest and it did not happen and you saw how much it hurt him as he trooped off after the defeat at the Lane. Came back strong with a great showing full of ability, work rate and sheer will to win in the return but then missed a penalty with his last kick but he was not the villain and most fans were just sad to see him go.
The thing I loved about him even more than his ability, goals and the way he takes the ball and goes forward all the time – is his work rate and ability to chase/harry and do those little things for the team. That is not something you always see in a loan player. He has undoubtedly been one of our stands outs and for me the leading light this season. Even when we had off games or injuries you felt he would do something and I loved watching him play. We do not tend to have players like this down the Lane (that is probably as we seem to at best have hard working players rather than lots of naturally gifted ones – he was a bit of both!). If course he will go back to Wolves and sure he will have to be more consistent (even saw the odd awful game down here) to be a regular there and add consistency and maybe keep to the basics too as well as the ‘flicks and tricks’ we all love. He was linked with AC Milan and you wonder if others will try and test them with a bid as now he needs to be playing.
We will see next season without him what a loss he will be. In an ideal world we would have gone up, bought him or got him for another season on loan but sadly he will depart but sure he will always remember his spell here fondly as we do too.
Grade A- (Last season NA)
Oli McBurnie He did ok in that first season (like Mousset). 6 goals is not much but he contributed and I expected him to start and push on last season but it never happened. He scored that one goal against Leicester but has not scored since which is incredible. I know he has not played much but not score in any level of league football even lower down at this level is not a great inditement of his play. I thought he would be our main striker with others contending to start alongside him but Sharp, McGoldrick and Brewster all had more impressive seasons albeit truncated due to injury in the case of the latter two. Even Mousset had a run of games and goals even for a very limited period. He started 9 (up to Reading) and mostly he was used as a bit part player off the bench. He had a few hard-working games but never really looked like scoring, the ball bounced away from him a lot and he barely had an effort on goal all season. His main strength seemed to be barrelling into players to show he was about and winning defensive headers. His lack of pace also meant he often had to come deep and meant when he did play, we almost did not have a centre forward as Gibbs White came deep too. He got booed and then cheered in separate games but ultimately his season was ended with another injury – another major issues is that he cannot stay fit.
We also have the social media incident/fight in Knaresborough and the events on the pitch at the City Ground and which whilst many defended him and he did get targeted, it is worrying that he seems drawn to these sorts of incidents. His stance on covid/vaccination meant he was not always available or out isolating as rules changed at different times. He always seemed to have an injury or be ill and lacking in match fitness and ability to play a run of games even if he was selected.
Hecky keeps saying he just needs a run to score but not sure that is true, he does not always get into the box or into those areas. At least McGoldrick and even others miss things. Not sure I can remember many bad misses? When he gets into areas, he lacks power to execute basic headers or shots and it sort of dies as he makes contact. Just does not seem a natural striker and as much as everyone harps on about that one season at Swansea, that was one season and he has barely scored since (did not before much either albeit starting out other than a loan spell at Barnsley). I am not convinced it will ever work out. If the club had received a bid from Wolves, then they will have probably regretted turning it down. They maybe thought at this lower level he would be a real threat but it has not worked out. Injuries, poor decisions off the field (training regime seems poor – he never gets stronger/fitter and looks weak for a player who should be entering his peak) and his performances and lack of impact means he seems set to continue being a bit part player. With McGoldrick, Burke, Mousset, Gibbs White maybe all leaving then that could leave just him, Brewster and Sharp (Jebbison may go on loan again I would think?) but if that is the case, I would be worried they are the only three strikers they have got due to Sharp’s age and other two’s appearance and goal record the last 2 seasons. I would want us to sign at least one, possibly two more.
At the end of the day, we paid a lot of money for him. I do not think it is down to work ethic or him not trying, I just think he is not good enough and has been a really poor signing that I feel ultimately will end up playing most of his career in the lower leagues and people will wonder why he went for so much money. Hope I am wrong. He still has a year left of his deal but I would not be surprised in a year if following another ineffective, injury hit season we are talking about shedding his wages and him leaving with sadly nothing to show for a huge fee.
Grade F (Last season E-)
Oliver Burke Burke had not had much impact at all since he was exchanged for the equally under whelming Callum Robinson. Burke showed pace but little else with poor control, finishing and football brain as he was in and out of a side rock bottom. He quickly became a bit of a laughing stock such was his complete lack of football awareness. He ended up playing a fair few games as we sought something up top and did score the winner at Old Trafford, one of thew few, maybe only highlight of his career so far at the Lane. With a number of strikers around, you thought he would be a fair way down the pecking order this season but out of the ‘6’ senior strikers, he ended up starting with McGoldrick and Brewster against Birmingham. The one advantage he had was he can play wide and has pace, something Jokanovic has traditionally craved in his sides. He hit the post with a decent effort in that first game but after another start at Swansea, he only began games in the Carabao Cup.
He then got an injury (as it did a lot of our strikers this season) and never seemed fit. We got told he would be back but he only had the odd game as an unused sub and I think the last time he was on the bench was at Preston. There were rumours he would go back in August with Blackburn interested allegedly and it fell through by all accounts. We had Middlesbrough linked with him I think under both Warnock and Wilder but that never happened. Eventually he went to Millwall in mid-January and came on and set up a goal I think early on in his spell but he then got injured again and was out. He did get back in and score a kneed finish against Barnsley. The Lions fans thought he had been ok and his pace and running had been a good outlet. He scored another vital goal at Birmingham as Millwall ironically started being one of our main challengers but they did not make it and he was back posing in Instagram in his erm…interesting selection of clothing.
The loan move was not the worst move, even though in a weird way we could have used him with all the injuries that came after but Heckingbottom talked about addition by subtraction not in terms of ability but the team spirit and you wondered about his (and others who departed) attitude? He still had a year left but like with Lowe, if we get any kind of bid, I would move him on and hope Millwall are daft enough to the club that sees something in him, as so many have done before to be fair! If he comes back not sure where he fits at all and you would expect him to go on loan again and see out his contract to next summer. The fact we managed to sign Robinson for 7 or 8 million, then swap him for Burke (albeit with a bit of cash coming to us) and parlay all that into nothing in terms of financial gain or real impact from either on the pitch is one of Wilder’s poorest moves at the club.
Grade E- (Last season E)
Lys Mousset I said last year that ‘how that I felt talent wise he should be our number one striker and that he had got the lot to be a top striker but his head does not always seem to be right and he is woefully inconsistent and quite ill-disciplined when he plays. He also seems to never be fully fit and cannot last a full game.’ I went on to say that: ‘He did contribute quite well that first year but now I do not see a future for him at the Lane. He definitely faces an uncertain future as a footballer never mind top level.’ Fast forward a year and nothing has changed and that is why he will depart the Lane as his contract is up.
For the last few seasons, we have said if he can stay fit and take the game seriously, talent wise he has so much to offer – strong, fast and a good finisher and at times quite an intelligent footballer. He came back for pre season and there was hope Jokanovic might get something out of him and he started the first game but of course he got injured. That was him done until early October when he came on at Bournemouth and somehow hit the bar from close range with a header. He did score at home to Stoke off the bench and then scored two clinical finishes at Barnsley including a brilliant individual strike. Once again you wrongly think, has the penny dropped and he knows it is the last chance saloon for him at the club. He played the next two games against Blackpool and Forest but was ineffectual and then other than a sub appearance at Blackburn, I am not sure he saw the field again.
Heckingbottom seemed as frustrated with him as we were talking about his inability to stay fit. I thought in an indirect way he took quite a few shots at him not taking the game seriously and questioned his professionalism. For him never to have played a full 90 minutes since he came to the UK is staggering and testament to what a poor career, he has had over here despite two big money signings and club seeing undoubted natural ability twinned with power and pace.
In the end we saw a chance to save some wages and move him out of the club with his presence probably not great for young players to see in terms of commitment to the cause. Salernitana in Italy somewhat surprisingly felt he was one of the men to help partner Franck Ribery and turn the struggling side round in Serie A. Mousset arrived by private jet with his entourage but his debut saw him concede a penalty and get subbed. He only played a few games and other than one assist, he did not really impress at all and once again got injured and was never seen again as his team oddly improved! There is no doubt that he will not be signed by his loan club and now will depart the Lane and you would think have to go back to France to try and kick start his career. Sadly he had probably earned enough from the game and two lucrative moves in the last 4 or 5 years to be comfortable. He is only 26 and it is irritating that someone with so much ability is effectively chucking his career away due to not working hard, looking after himself and applying himself. He did have a good impact for 2 or 3 months in that first Premier League season but like with Freeman, Robinson, Burke and so far, McBurnie, their spells at the Lane were hugely overwhelming and a waste of valuable resources.
Grade E (Last season F-)
Rhian Brewster United’s record signing came into this season with a lot of questions after a scoreless and disappointing Premier League campaign where he became the butt of jokes to casual football fans due to the amount of money he cost and his lack of impact. I wrote the following in my notes last season:
‘At the moment I am struggling to see what kind of striker he is. Again, may seem harsh but he seems to have a decent shot but is not a runner, not a link man, not a hustling player, not a box player and not really a player that comes deep or conversely is the shoulders of the last defender. For 23 million pounds regardless of his age and inexperience I expected to see something/anything really but have seen very little for all those blaming service or the fact he is inexperienced. I want some of the basics to be done firstly and he has to work harder for the side. Maybe at Chelsea, Liverpool and Swansea, even with the younger teams, his teams were winning and he did not have to do the hard yards and just be there to finish chances off?
He is young though and hopefully with some time to regroup and come back he will be able to make more of an impact next season. At the moment looks miles off though. I think if Wilder and the club had their time back, they would have only signed him on loan though and in all likelihood, he would have been sent back in January. We have him for 4 seasons now and a long contract so somehow, we have to get something out of him.’
So fast forward to now and what did we see of him albeit in a truncated season due to injury. Well, he started on the bench but did ok against Birmingham before finally scoring against Carlisle in the League Cup. He then had little impact in future games as he was in and out of the team. He ended up in a wide role which was clearly not his position. Jokanovic tried to find a role for him but he still was not having much impact and was more out of the team than in it. He struggled to look much of a threat but then not many did in the way we played. Some criticised his effort but I felt he was trying but it was just not happening. He did score his first league goal, a great strike at Blackburn and then around the time of the managerial change, things started to click. He scored against Bristol City and looked dangerous, running behind defenders. He managed to get beyond the last man twice, at Preston and at home to Luton, leading to two red cards and he scored in the latter game. Finally, he was looking a threat and seemed to be playing on the shoulder of the last man, moving into good areas and causing defences problems. His work ethic also endeared him to the crowd. He was still a long way from what we thought we had signed but as a young lad still, we were finally seeing something after 15-16 months of nothing. It was just our luck that the next game at Peterborough he got a bad injury (had a hamstring issue before but this was worse than this) and that was it; his season was done. Saw him around the Lane on crutches and we hoped he would recover for next season of course.
I felt he was just not the player we thought but finally we did see flashes for a period and I thought we might have something so the timing of the injury was really annoying. With a number of strikers moving on then you would think he has a chance to establish himself but must come back fit and firing to start the season. I am still not fully convinced what type of striker he is but ultimately he started to look a threat and score goals and you compare him to McBurnie, Burke and even McGoldrick as harsh as the latter sounds, the idea a ball might drop to a striker or he may get in a position to score, is something we have to quietly excited about moving forward. Only just 22 so there is a lot of time for him to develop too.
Grade C (Last season F)
Daniel Jebbison Burst onto the scene at the end of the Premier League campaign as we opted to blood him and he scored at Everton and played a run of games right at the end of the season. Suddenly he was getting linked with lots of clubs and at one stage we had Borrussia Dortmund, Real Madrid, Barcelona and a host of Premier League clubs apparently having an interest! It was a strange one as despite his impact, we still had a number of strikers ahead of him in terms of experience/cost so it was unsure if we would use him. Jokanovic felt that he needed some games and would not be close to playing regular at this level yet and so he ended up at Burton on loan. Faced with the chance of learning from Hasselbaink, it seemed a good move for all.
He made his debut in September and scored his first goal at the end of the month. He started games but was also used off the bench but gradually started to score regularly and became a real threat with the Burton fans impressed by his pace, strong running and some good finishing. He got 9 goals in 19 games in all competitions and was becoming a key man. He was not the finished article and at times he would get taken off or be used off the bench but clearly was developing. There was talk of whether we should bring him back but most felt he was better staying there for the season. Sadly, we had our hand forced as we had a plethora of injuries and it meant we had to bring him back, as much for cover/insurance with so many forwards not available.
After he came back and MCBurnie and other struggled, the demand for him to play increased but after a few cameos off the bench, this noise quietened as they saw he was maybe a long way off from being a regular at this level. His pressing and running helped us against Forest but in other games he looked a long way short and struggled at Stoke and against QPR/Reading when used and then Osula jumped ahead of him. Seemed to not quite link with others or know where to run and got outmuscled a fair bit. Even Hecky conceded he was a long way off but playing out of necessity. Some thought he would come back and score and be a real threat and even start to play regularly due to what he had done in that brief run in the Premier League and the promise at Burton, but we saw that was not the case. He needs to go out on loan for another year for me and maybe even back to Burton. I think we will need new strikers this summer to compete with a few outgoing but he is not ready yet.
Despite being born in Canada and was involved in some provisional junior squads for them, he has been involved for the England under 18’s and under 19’s.
Grade D- (Last season C+)
William Osula Danish player who has played for his country’s various international sides at his respective age group. He won a talent contest at Man Utd before the Blades picked him up. He had not played much for either the u18’s or the u23’s last season with a few injuries but did have a late run in both sides and scored a few for the u23’s and looks big and strong. Scored a 9-minute hat trick v Ipswich in the play-off semi-final for the u23’s at the end of 2020-21. He then got on the bench for the last 1st team game of the season against Burnley last season.
This season seemed a bit stop start too with injuries as well and only got back into the u23’s fully after Xmas and played less than double figure games for them but scored a fair few. Big lad who is quite muscular and mobile when I have seen him. He clearly impressed Heckingbottom when he was with the academy/u23’s to the extent that after he got back playing, he was called up the first team squad. We had a lot of strikers out but still a bit of a surprise he was named on the bench for a few games. He got only briefly at Blackpool and then at Stoke when he played longer and did ok putting himself about as United did not really look like scoring. He was not involved the next few games as McBurnie and then Sharp got back fit but at 18 but then came back ahead of Jebbison and did quite well at Bristol City and came on again at QPR and against Fulham. One you would like to see get some loan time next season in ‘men’s’ football but looks to have good raw talents.
Tyler Smith Smith had been successful in the Academy scoring a number of goals and then had loan spells at Barrow where he scored 23 in 10. This was National League level so United rightly moved him onto a higher division on loan and he moved onto Doncaster, Bristol Rovers and Rochdale. He did not have the same impact only netting 6 in 38 and was never really a regular at any of the clubs really after starting well at them all. He went to Swindon last season and began well scoring goals in preseason and to open the campaign. He got 7 goals up to December 1st but then was not really a regular after this. He came back to United and with a season left of his contract, knew it was a pivotal season. He ended up being involved pre season and then started against Carlisle and set up the goal for Brewster. He did not even make the bench after this though as we had a number of attacking players (ironically if he had remained, he may have been used towards the end of the season due to what happened with outgoing players and injuries!).
A few clubs were being linked with him at the end of August and he moved to Hull on a 2 year deal for an undisclosed fee which probably was not a lot but protected us if he moved on again. He instantly went in the team and had a goal disallowed against us actually but struggled to find the net and was in and out. He did score against Everton on TV but the league goals did not come even though he was working hard for the team according to fans. He finally scored a league goal at Peterborough in February but he was never a guaranteed starter. Like with Slater, he has found a home and at a decent level so will hopefully for him have a good pre season and can be more of a regular/scorer next time out.
Next season
McGoldrick and Mousset move on and leaves us with 4/5 senior strikers in Sharp, Brewster, McBurnie and Burke and then Ndiaye who can play there but probably someone who plays just behind better. I think that McBurnie and Burke would be moved on if we got a taker. I can see either or both playing out their final days (this season) as a Blade on loan somewhere. It has not happened anywhere for Burke for a number of years and feel he will be move to the lower leagues soon. This is something I feel may happen to McBurnie too – he may go on loan to a Championship team and then if he does nothing there, then clubs will realise this lad had maybe a season (and a half if you count Barnsley) out of 4 or 5 years and is not a player that can make a meaningful impact even at this level (the Swansea season is a while ago). I am not sure we will see much of him but depends if anyone wants him - based on such poor form maybe now? Jebbison and Osula need a season out on loan. I hope the pair can get a League One team to take them on.
Sharp will be around and will still amaze with the number of games he plays and goals he scores but you do feel he will definitely not play every week (I have said it every year but this time I will surely be right?). Brewster hopefully can carry on his improvements and be fit and raring to go pre season and Ndiaye has shown he can be a real talent. We still need at least one, possibly two strikers. I would like a target man type that offers us some physicality up there in terms of hold up and maybe we need some creativity and skill with that to offset the MGW/McGoldrick loss even though Ndiaye has shown he can do this role. I think we have a good oldie and two good youngsters (Ndiaye and Brewster) but will need some signings in here. You would think two midfielders and two strikers are the minimum we need as we somehow need to replace the goals and brilliance of Gibbs White also who featured so much at this end of the field.
Player / Position Years remaining (contract expires) Red this year – Orange next year - Green longer contract –
Forwards
David McGoldrick Out of contract (2022) - released
Lys Mousset Out of contract (2022) – released
Billy Sharp 1 year (2023)
Oliver Burke 1 year (2023)
Oli McBurnie 1 year (2023)
Iliman Ndiaye 2 years (2024)
Rhian Brewster 3 years (2025)
Youngsters involved in 1st team last season or loans out (contracts unknown if not stated)
Daniel Jebbison 1 year (2023)
Will Osula 1 year (2023)
Return to loan club:
Morgan Gibbs White (Wolves)
