You won’t find many Sheffield United fans who aren’t desperate to see young striker Rhian Brewster do well at Bramall Lane. His spell so far has been nothing short of a nightmare, with just a single EFL Cup goal to show for his efforts.
For Blades fans, it’s almost painful to witness. Brewster, a £23.5m signing from Liverpool in the summer of 2020, has looked a young player short confidence, match sharpness, and at times, ability. All in all, he’s looked lost since arriving at Bramall Lane.
The relief on his face when he netted against Carlisle was obvious. But since then, we’ve seen little of Brewster in a Sheffield United shirt. Talk of a January move to Nottingham Forest is gathering pace. However, Slavisa Jokanovic has dismissed such talk for now.
Clearly, Brewster is working hard. Jokanovic has said as much, and was even looking to get the young striker involved at Barnsley before two Reds goals changed the plan.
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And working hard and putting in the hard yards is something his former youth team manager, Steven Gerrard, spoke of previously.
Steven Gerrard’s advice for Rhian Brewster
Before taking Rangers back to the pinnacle of Scottish football, Liverpool legend Gerrard was working with the young players at Anfield. One of those players, was a very young Rhian Brewster.
A teenager under Gerrard, Brewster had hit the headlines after impressing for the England under-17s in their World Cup win in India. In doing so, the striker quickly became hot property at Liverpool. But Gerrard, ever the level-headed speaker, had advice for Brewster.
“Everyone has seen it all over the world that Rhian is capable of scoring goals. You have to enjoy the plaudits but not get too high and not start believing in all the hype. You have to keep showing everyone what you are about. For me, the key for Rhian Brewster today was his workrate. We all know he has got the talent and the ability.” Gerrard said of Brewster after a game against Sevilla in 2017.
“If Rhian wants to go far and stay at the top, if he can put in that work rate and relentless running, that’s how he’s going to get the better of most defenders. His body is built for running and that’s one of his strengths. He can’t forget that.”
Brewster, in fairness to him, has been played in a few positions under Slavisa Jokanovic. Prior to that, he was part of a sinking ship under Chris Wilder, and was never going to get going. That’s where the slack comes from for United fans, in the main anyway.
Making an Impression
They key for Brewster at Sheffield United is that when he does play, can he leave a mark on the game? His best performance this season was against Hull City away. He was unlucky at times with a few pot shots, but showed enough to suggest he could contribute.
And that’s something that Gerrard touched on in his comments in 2017, adding:
“In football people forget pretty quickly, both the good and the bad. You are only as good as your last game, and against Sevilla he was magnificent.”
Let’s all hope, then, that for Brewster and Sheffield United’s sake, Gerrard’s words keeping ringing in the ear of the striker and he can eventually deliver the goods.
