Sander Berge's Burnley impact laid bare with double award win after Sheffield United switch

Sander Berge may have swapped one relegation battle for another when he left Sheffield United for Burnley in the summer but he has impressed in a difficult season at Turf Moor, landing two big awards at the Clarets’ awards night on Saturday evening. Berge was sold on the eve of this current campaign after entering the final year of his Bramall Lane deal, with United unwilling to risk him walking away for free when his contract expired.

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Vincent Kompany’s side are on the brink of joining the Blades in the Championship next season after slipping five points behind fourth-bottom Nottingham Forest - who won at Bramall Lane on Saturday to ease their own relegation worries - with just two games to play. But it has been an impressive season for Berge individually, who scooped both Burnley’s player of the season and players’ player of the year in his first year at Turf Moor.

The player of the season award was decided by a worldwide online supporter vote while the Norwegian’s teammates chose him as the recipient of the second honour. “This means a lot to me,” he said. “Burnley is a fantastic football club. I love coming into work every single day and being part of such a special club with so many great people. They’re a fantastic group to be part of."

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Berge returned to Bramall Lane for the first time since his summer departure last month in a 4-1 Burnley win, that saw Kompany’s men register a 9-1 aggregate win over United this season. Berge was jeered by sections of the Blades support but he sent a classy message to them after the game, saying: “This [United] is a special place for me. It was strange to be back here, after promotion, and playing against a club I have huge feelings for and a lot of respect for.

“It's a special place to come, even with getting a few boos which is part of the game and natural. But I still have a lot of love and respect for them and I think deep down the fans have the same. That's football sometimes, you move on and things like that happen.”