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Blades ace Ched tipped to become a Premier talent
IT'S already been a memorable week for Ched Evans.
An inspired performance for Wales against Scotland saw John Toshack heap praise upon his shoulders before a call-up for the under-21 party which faced Bosnia on Wednesday prompted Brian Flynn to follow suit.
Sheffield United now hope the young striker's rich vein of form at international level will be reproduced in the Championship.
However Evans fares against Peterborough tomorrow, the manager whose team have so far profited most from the 20-year-old's talents is convinced Kevin Blackwell unearthed one of football's rarest gems when he prised him away from Manchester City this summer.
A centre-forward capable of plundering 20-plus Premier League goals a season.
"In the right place at the right time I'm certain that Ched can go on to do that," Flynn told The Star.
"That's how good he can become. There's no doubt in my mind about that.
"He's a very determined young man and that's good to see. It means he's a pleasure to work with.
"He's focused, works hard at his game, and going to Sheffield United will do him the power of good because, particularly at this stage of his career.
Ched needs to be involved.
"At Manchester City he wasn't and, being honest, that's no good for him."
United were at pains to point out they had invested in potential rather than the finished article after persuading Evans to cross the Pennines.
But the 3 million fee he commanded, making him Bramall Lane's most expensive acquisition of the Blackwell era, inevitably raised expectations on the terraces.
He has netted three times since leaving Eastlands, and the first murmurings of discontent have begun to appear on local-radio phone-ins and internet message boards.
But Flynn, whose side still lead their Euro 2011 qualifying group despite Wednesday's 2-1 defeat, harbours no such doubts.
Evans' stock may have depreciated slightly in South Yorkshire but on the opposite banks of the Severn it could not be higher.
"I can definitely see an improvement in Ched," former Doncaster Rovers midfielder Flynn, speaking from the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo, said.
"It has come from him being involved with a very good club on a regular basis.
"His all-round play has got better and he's obviously gaining in experience because his contribution and awareness in other areas of the pitch has really come on.
"I thought he was superb against the Scots and really deserved a goal.
"He didn't get one but that shouldn't detract from how well Ched did."
Having watched Evans hit the target 13 times in as many appearances for the principality's U-21s, Blackwell is adamant that perseverance holds the key to helping Evans fulfil his potential.
United's well-documented injury crisis, which threatens to leave them without Richard Cresswell, Nick Montgomery and Ian Bennett against the visitors from London Road, has forced Blackwell to abandon the development programme he had devised to sharpen Evans' skills.
Rather than being gently introduced to the demands of England's second tier - a tactic which worked wonders for Jamie Ward - the Denbighshire-born marksman has instead been thrown straight in at the deep end.
"Actually, it's our second generation because we've got boys in the seniors who are still very young and I had a couple of 17-year-olds with me in Bosnia," Flynn explained.
Matchfacts
The Teams: United (possible): Bennett, Walker, Morgan, Davies, Kilgallon, Stewart, Quinn, Harper, Treacy, Evans, Ward (4-4-2).
Peterborough (possible): Lewis, Morgan, R Bennett, Keates, Diagouraga, Coutts, Lee, Rowe, Whelpdale, Mackail-Smith, Boyd (4-4-2).
The referee: Grant Hegley: From Hertfordshire, Hegley cites George Courtney and Paul Durkin as his refereeing role models. Tomorrow's game will be his fifth Championship appointment of the season so far. Cautious with his cards, Hegley has issued 15 yellow and no reds in his last 16 outings.Not what Blackwell had planned but, as Flynn explained, Evans' partnership with Darius Henderson should flourish more quickly as a result.
"For the lads up front it is all about partnerships," Flynn said.
"Every top club has one - look at Tosh and (Kevin) Keegan when they were at Liverpool - and often they are like chalk and cheese.
"Ched is getting opportunities to forge one of those now and that will only help to bring him on even more.
"It can only be good for Sheffield United too."
Together with David Cotterill, who is poised to continue talks with Swansea, Evans is part of an exciting generation of Welsh players responsible for raising hopes that their exile from the finals of a major competition could soon be over.
"Our philosophy is to attack and I think they enjoy that."
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Weather for Sheffield
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 13 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 12 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North east
