Exclusive:Costly Sheffield United man could become next casualty of major Bramall Lane rebuild after season struggle
A year after his multi-million-pound arrival, the Sheffield United man is facing an uncertain future at Bramall Lane as Chris Wilder’s big Blades rebuild gathers pace. Danny Hall reports
Defender Mark McGuinness faces an uncertain Sheffield United future this summer, The Star understands, after struggling to establish himself during a difficult first season at Bramall Lane. The centre-half arrived from Luton Town last summer in a multi-million-pound deal.
The exact amount United paid to secure his services has never been publicly confirmed but sources at Bramall Lane have pegged it at between £4m and £5m, which is a fair chunk of the £19m committed to permanent signings 12 months ago.
Few of the players United brought in under Ruben Selles truly established themselves during a chaotic season at Bramall Lane, although Japhet Tanganga at least showed flashes of why the Blades pushed so hard to sign him.
While he is understood to be a part of current boss Chris Wilder’s plans for next season - albeit with the hope he regains the consistency he showed when he first arrived from Millwall - the same cannot be firmly said for McGuinness.
There is uncertainty about whether the 25-year-old is a central part of Wilder’s rebuild, which hopes to restore the Blades to a top Championship side fighting for a place in the Premier League after last season’s disappointing 13th-placed finish.
McGuinness’s stock remains high elsewhere, having been called into a recent shadow Republic of Ireland squad and playing the first half of a recent 5-0 friendly hammering of Grenada in which United teammate Tom Cannon scored twice.
And if interest does materialise this summer from rival clubs, then the understanding is that United will not stand in McGuinness’s way. That is not to say United will give the player away. With finances tighter this summer, maximising value on outgoing players has become increasingly important.
But Wilder has been vocal about the need to trim United’s bloated squad and a total of 10 players have already left, including six loanees and four - including influential midfielder Jairo Riedewald - released.
Another nine or 10 could easily follow those out of the exit door this summer as Wilder looks to reinforce the culture he believes can inspire a promotion push next term. Tahith Chong, who also made the move up the M1 last summer, is another player facing an uncertain future.
But his immediate thoughts will be on this summer’s World Cup, having been named in Curaçao’s travelling party for their first-ever experience of the tournament. That will at least net United some return on their investment, through a FIFA fund compensating clubs whose players have been called up for international duty.