Slavisa Jokanovic has admitted that he has spoken to Rhian Brewster this week after his sending off with England in midweek, but admitted that he needs to see the young striker ‘grow up’ a bit more.
Brewster was given a harsh time from the national media in midweek after his sending off in Andorra. In fairness to Rhian, the second yellow card he was given was a nonsense. However, his overall performance again fell short of where he needs to be.
All eyes are now on the former Liverpool man and how he reacts to what is another setback in his young career. After scoring goals for Swansea City, Brewster has netted just once for United.
And speaking ahead of this weekend’s clash with Stoke City at Bramall Lane, Jokanovic admitted he’d spoken to Brewster.
“Yes, this sometimes happen. He needs to show more concentration but from another side it wasn’t a tackle and the referee made a decision but he has to not put himself in this situation,” the Serbian told Yorkshire Live.
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“He is one of the most talented English players but he needs to grow up more. You ask about the strikers earlier we are trying to find a balance and we play him number 10 or a winger. They are all looking to be on the pitch. He needs to find the capacity to adapt to a different role and we can see what type of progress we can make.”
Our View: Reset needed for Brewster?
It’s nice to hear Jokanovic is backing Rhian Brewster. The Blades boss obviously has a lot of time for young players. He’s shown this in his career before, and with Brewster, Ndiaye, and others in the United squad, Jokanovic has shown his willingness to engage them.
However, he faces a tricky situation with Brewster. To one end, there comes a point where he simply needs to be left out for his own good. But on the flipside, sticking with him could give Brewster the lift he needs to keep on plugging away.
A few games in the under-23s might not be a bad idea. Strikers need to hear and feel the ball hitting the back of the net to regain confidence. If Brewster could do that in the odd 23s game, then he might regain his touch.
Regardless, Jokanovic faces a tough task with the £20m man. And in reality, only Brewster can get himself out of this huge rut.
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