Former Liverpool man Rhian Brewster reveals David McGoldrick's new role at Sheffield United

“It’s good… it’s not good to have, but it’s good to have, if that makes sense,” the Sheffield United striker said, as he discusses his own comeback from injury and the catch-22 situation of having fellow teammates alongside him in the Bramall Lane treatment room.

Clearly, he would rather David McGoldrick and Jayden Bogle were fit and firing for the Blades rather than receiving treatment on their own season-ending injuries. But for Brewster, recovering from successful surgery on his damaged hamstring which ended his campaign early, their presence is a big psychological help.

“Didz is like our dad,” the former Liverpool youngster smiles, painting a picture of 34-year-old McGoldrick guiding the 20-year-old striker and 21-year-old Bogle through their rehab sessions.

“He is like the father figure for me and Boges in the rehab system. It's not good to have but it’s good to have, if that makes sense.

“When I’m having a bad day they lift you up and vice versa, hopefully I lift them up when they're having a bad day. It's not good to be injured, we're all out for a long, long period of time, but it's just good to have each other's backs because by yourself it's a bit harder.

“You've got no one to be there with you and push you on. Sometimes you come in tired and angry and just want to go back to bed.

“Just snuggle up and close your eyes and hope that the next day you're back and playing football again. It's good to have them there with me.”

Brewster’s hamstring injury came at the worst possible time, for both player and club. After a slow start to life at Bramall Lane following a club-record move from Liverpool, Brewster was just beginning to show signs of the form that persuaded United’s hierarchy to sanction a deal for him. Then he strained to cross a ball at Peterborough, crumpled in a heap and his season was done.

“You just start to hit form and then ‘boom’, it happens,” Brewster, speaking at United’s Shirecliffe training complex before starting another rehab session, adds.

“But I’ve got the right people next to me and behind me and hopefully when I come back, I can carry on the same type of form - or even a bit better, maybe.”

After suffering the damage to his hamstring and undergoing tests and consultations, a range of treatment options were presented to Brewster and United’s medical team, including head of medical services Steve Humphries.

Surgery was not the only option on the table, with others available that may not have ended Brewster’s season prematurely. But after discussions with experts and his family, and with the knowledge that other options may not heal the muscle as successfully and strongly as going under the knife, the decision to operate was taken.

Brewster’s injury represented a significant blow to United’s hopes of securing an instant return to the Premier League and, along with injuries to Billy Sharp and Oli McBurnie and the loan departures of Oli Burke and Lys Mousset, left United without a fit and available senior striker recently.

The striker, who had scored three times in his last seven games before suffering the injury, returned to Bramall Lane initially on crutches and wearing a brace to help his recovery.

“The operation went really well,” Brewster continues. “When I eventually came around, the surgeon spoke to me and said he thought it went really well.

“I'm seeing him soon again for the check up to make sure everything's still running smooth, but it went really well.

“I'm back walking after being on crutches. Back stepping it up in the gym and doing some more leg stuff, trying to get the bulk back in my leg. Just step by step, stepping it up in the gym.

“The crutches got thrown in the bin straightaway when I could walk without them. That and the brace as well.

“It's good to be back walking and doing stuff for myself. On crutches you can't do anything for yourself. You have to rely on other people so it's good to be back walking, being able to get myself a drink or some food.”

The injury has reduced the England U21 international to the role of cheerleader – one that, despite his frustration at not being able to get out there and help his teammates in their quest for promotion back to the Premier League, Brewster is fulfilling with typical energy and buoyancy.

“I’m not a good watcher at all, because I want to play,” he says. “But of course I’ve been watching the boys. It's hard to do that and know that you could have been out there trying to help.

“You see some results, maybe a 0-0 or 1-1 or maybe we lose, and you wish you could be there to help. To maybe get an assist or score a goal. I've been up a lot, jumping up a lot, just watching the games.

“The boys have got tough games coming up but I have faith in them 100 per cent, I'm fully behind them. The 12th or 13th man, that’s definitely me. Cheering them on. But it's hard to watch. Very hard to watch.”

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