Sheffield United: Adkins admits striker is angry

Sharp enters tomorrow’s League One fixture against Colchester having scored his fifth goal in six outings at Wigan Athletic in midweek as the visitors came from 3-0 down to snatch a draw.

Adkins said: “Billy is good when he’s angry. If I take him off, he’s angry. If he doesn’t play every game, he’s angry. You’ve got to be on edge, you’ve got to have that hunger be it as a player or a manager. You need that desire to achieve otherwise, just go and be a journeyman. Settle for that.”

Adkins, speaking at his pre-match media briefing yesterday, leapt to Sharp’s defence following last weekend’s FA Cup tie against Manchester United when the 29-year-old looked less than impressed to be substituted midway through the second-half.

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Having watched Sharp deliver the perfect riposte at the DW Stadium, Adkins acknowledged: “Billy got hold of the ball so we could get further upfield. He looked a threat, he looked moody. And that’s when Billy is at his best, when he fells he’s got something to prove. For one, he loves Sheffield United and he wants to score in every single game. And that’s what you do as a centre-forward, look to get hold of the ball, run, get on the end of it again and put it in the net. Everyone knows what I think about Billy.”Adkins, meanwhile, has last night suggested another United striker, Michael Higdon, will be allowed to depart on loan during this month’s transfer window after completing a temporary spell with Oldham Athletic.

“I’ve had good conversations with Higgy,” Adkins said. “He’s not in that travelling group, as it were, at this moment in time with respect of some others I’ve mentioned. He should want to go and play but, likewise, he’s still under contract here. We’ve got a lot of forwards. Higgy is back, he’s been training and we’ll see what materialises.”