Sheffield United assistant manager, Stuart McCall, has praised Oli McBurnie for his attitude and commitment of late.
The big number nine has been stricken by injury on more than one occasion in the last 12 months and has been missing since the early part of 2022 with a foot problem. However, McBurnie is playing for the under-21s today – indeed, he’d given the young Blades the lead at the time of writing – and there is hope he could be back in first-team action soon.
And McCall, speaking in the presser ahead of West Brom this week, believes McBurnie is chomping at the bit to deliver.
McBurnie Praised
The Blades assistant has been vocal in his support of McBurnie ever since he arrived back in Sheffield. And he was once again singing the striker’s praises today, admitting he’s confident of seeing the best of him soon.
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“We’ll see how he comes through this afternoon. He’s been working really hard, looks in good nick. Listen, he’s had a lousy run since we’ve come in of injuries and illnesses and things like that. So hopefully now he can kick on and show his true worth,” McCall said.
“When we went over to Portugal, obviously Jack O’Connell was with us, Oli, and a few other lads coming back from injury working really hard and you saw a real desire in him. We’ve said since we’ve been in, obviously Hecky knows Oli from being at Barnsley and he’s really applied himself really well. But he’s just been unfortunate. So, for the lad’s sake it will be good if he can have a clear run and hopefully we’ll see the best of him.”
Our View: Big Role Possible For Oli Mac
He’s a divisive figure is Oli McBurnie at Sheffield United. Some supporters are still convinced he can deliver for United, while some have frankly given up due to his lack of goals.
However, our feeling at Sheffield United News is that McBurnie can indeed play a part this season. Sure, he has a battle on his hands to get a regular starting spot. But there’ll be games where a bigger presence is needed up top and the likes of Ndiaye, McAtee and Khadra might revel in playing off McBurnie at times.
If he can stay fit, get back among the bench, and then eventually get some goals in the bank, we’ve all see McBurnie can do it. He scored a few big goals in the Premier League, and he’s more than proved his worth at Championship level with Swansea before.
There’s still hope for Oli Mac and hopefully, come the end of this season, we’ll have seen glimpses of the player we all thought Chris Wilder had spent £20m on.
