'I'd like to play with him' - Paul Merson deliberates on how to get best out of Sheffield United 'nuisance'

The Scottish target man put in an admirable shift against Leicester City, and scored his side's opener in a disappointing 2-1 defeat.

But the 24-year-old has struggled for consistency in front of goal in recent times, and Merson has argued that the best way to maximise his potential is to pair him with a more naturally-gifted finisher.

When asked by Sky Sports News’ Soccer Saturday host Jeff Stelling if McBurnie could score the goals needed to fire Chris Wilder’s men to safety this season, the former Arsenal man replied: “No, he won’t do that.

"He needs someone next to him who can do that. You have him there to take the burden away, because what he does do is work his socks off.

"What you need is for him to be closing everybody down, working hard – I don’t like using this word – but being a nuisance, and then you need a goalscorer.

"Their problem is going to be can they take the chance of playing two up front? Sheffield United have got to start taking chances. They’ve got one point in 11 games. They haven’t won a game.

"They will virtually have to win, out of the next 27 games, half of them games. They have to win 13 games, lose 14, and they’ll be at 40 points and they’ll stay up. That’s a big ask. That’s a massive ask.

"They’ve got to get someone with him [McBurnie]. I’d like to play with him, if I was a goalscorer, because he will take the burden, he will look after the defender who will cause me problems, and then I’d work off him.”

McBurnie signed for the Blades from Swansea City in a deal worth £17 million in August of last year.

Since then, the Scotland international has scored seven goals in 52 outings for United. His strike against Leicester was his first of the season across all competitions, and just his fourth since the start of 2020.