Ivo Grbic set Sheffield United future challenge as forgotten Blades men get second chances under new regime
Ivo Grbic gets Sheffield United second chance as forgotten Blades men enjoy clean slate under new regime
Ivo Grbic is amongst the Sheffield United forgotten men who have had the chance to impress new boss Ruben Selles and his coaching staff in Girona this week, after the Blades squad were told that the slate has been wiped clean. The Croatian endured a torrid start to life at United since signing from Atletico Madrid last January.
Grbic conceded 32 goals in his first 10 appearances in a United shirt, with his only game for the Blades last season a League Cup win over Wrexham before he moved to Turkey after being offered an escape route by Caykur Rizespor.
The 29-year-old made 22 appearances for them either side of a sickening head injury he suffered just before Christmas which saw him taken to hospital after colliding with an opponent. He has since reported back for pre-season training with the Blades and was part of the party which flew to Girona last weekend for a week-long training camp in the Spanish sun.
Grbic was put through his paces alongside fellow goalkeepers Michael Cooper, Adam Davies and Luke Faxon, and the selection of stoppers for Tuesday’s first friendly of pre-season will be a big clue as to Selles’ plans for the key position ahead of the new season.
It seems unlikely that both Grbic and Davies will be retained as back-up to Cooper while the Blades will be keen not to block the pathway for Faxon, who has been earmarked as a potential key man in the future after his impressive displays for the United academy sides in recent years.
Ivo Grbic gets Sheffield United second chance as forgotten Blades men enjoy clean slate under new regime
If an offer is received for the Croatian then he could still move on this summer but whilst he remains a United player, he has the opportunity to force his way back into Selles’ plans. Speaking to The Star in Girona, Tobias Loveland - who joined the Blades along with Selles and assistant manager James Oliver-Pearce last month after Chris Wilder’s departure - said: “It goes to a clean slate.
“Everyone has the opportunity to come in, invest in the training sessions and show who they want to be, and then we make decisions from there. We haven’t been fortunate enough to play a game yet, that’s when you start to learn more and more from seeing them in those environments.
“But from the training so far, we can start to build pictures and see how they fit into the way we want to play and how we can adapt to those players. But everyone has the opportunity to come here, show up and compete for the shirts.”
Irish youngster Sam Curtis, who finished last season on loan at St Johnstone after his temporary spell at Peterborough United was cut short, has also been handed the chance to impress Selles and Co. in Girona.
The United party returning to England today [Saturday] has also been supplemented by a number of youngsters, including Louie Marsh, Ryan One and defender Dovydas Sasnauskas, the Lithuanian youth international who recently put pen to paper on a new deal to extend his time at Bramall Lane.
“Everyone’s had different challenging moments in their life and good moments too where you feel elated or low,” Loveland added. “But then sometimes that change of people can be as good as a change of environment. Some people may come with a different freshness and show an ability, and it’s for them to then take their opportunity.”