In August of this year, Premier League new-boys Sheffield United made a club record-breaking £20m statement by bringing in 23-year-old clinical target-man Oli McBurnie from Swansea. A statement to put all other teams in the top-flight on notice, showing that they’re not going to roll over and be relegation fodder.
Four months on and the Blades have defied the naysayers by sitting in 6th; ahead of Tottenham, Manchester United and Arsenal, but the Yorkshire-outlet’s big Scottish statement is now more like a whisper.
United’s number nine has made more appearances off the bench than in the starting line-up this season; often coming on late in games when energy levels are starting to dwindle, and has been embroiled in a court case over drink driving charges which has dragged his reputation as a clinical striking option through the mud.
Despite securing a valuable point on Sunday in the Blades’ 3-3 draw with Manchester United, the fine form of Lys Mousset and David McGoldrick is keeping McBurnie firmly on the sidelines. So does the £20m man even fit into this European-football chasing Sheffield United side?
Whilst a rather mobile target man – as shown by his exhibition of 22 goals in the Championship last season – the Scottish international is often relied on for his overbearing 6 foot 2 inch stature; with Chris Wilder often shifting to a 5-4-1 formation when closing off games and relying on route one football when players are fatigued.
McBurnie needs the ball played at his feet with surrounding players to work in tandem with – support he doesn’t get when late into gritty games – so often finds himself isolated and sometimes scapegoated by sections of supporters as he can’t chase a hopeful ball down the channels or create something out of nothing – mucg like Bramall Lane’s latest goalscoring hero Mousset.
McBurnie’s main barrier to the starting eleven is the fine form of David McGoldrick as a stocky supportive striker – much like a prime Emile Heskey – whereby the 31-year-old prioritises team play (averaging 20.60 passes a game this season as a striker) and will often drop back to provide an extra physical presence in midfield.
The 23-year-old won’t be able to thwart the Irishman out of the team as a physical striker, so for McBurnie to flourish in a Wilder set-up he would need tighter midfield support from Lundstram, Fleck and Norwood – similar to how he spearheaded Swansea’s attack in a 4-2-3-1 formation with players that would pivot and play off the bearded striker.
Whilst McGoldrick gleams in his role of anchoring the attacks and holding up play, however, this severely blocks the door for McBurnie, who only has scraps of time at the end of games to make his mark.
Oliver McBurnie has proven his attacking prowess last season in a below-par Swansea side, cementing his credentials as a Championship striker and, in the process, preparing for the step up to the Premier League in a bid to replicate his form from the previous campaign.
The target man indisputably has the talent stowed away in his locker, it seems he just needs a clear mindset to work to get himself away from the bench – both on the sidelines and in the courtroom.
