James Shield: Sheffield United must face up to life without Morgan Gibbs-White sooner than they think

Neighbours called the Old Bill after hearing the sound of smashing glass. And when they arrived, an ambulance was summoned. Curry’s too. Because after watching Sheffield United draw Wolverhampton Wanderers in the FA Cup third round, the midfielder, on loan at Bramall Lane from the Premier League club, suffered a badly cut foot after kicking the TV screen.

Given how things get taken so literally on social media these days, I now feel compelled to admit that none of the above happened. The opening paragraphs of this column were just a poor attempt at humour.

But joking aside (if anyone is actually laughing), Gibbs-White will have been gutted by the sight of United getting paired with Wolves. The same goes, presuming he is serious about progressing, for their manager Paul Heckingbottom.

Gibbs-White has had a transformative effect upon United’s performances since arriving in South Yorkshire. So much so, you wonder where they would have been in the table right now if someone behind the scenes had got their backside into gear and pushed through his move long before the end of August? Speaking during his first public interview after joining United, Gibbs-White let slip he first learnt of United’s interest nearly three months earlier.

Certainly not 10th, where they have been preparing for next Monday’s meeting with Queens Park Rangers. And definitely not 14 points behind second placed AFC Bournemouth.

Failing to win any of their first four games under Slavisa Jokanovic, after being relegated so emphatically last season, had a debilitating effect upon a squad already drained of confidence and made sure the healing process after surrendering top-flight status was far more arduous than it should have been. Costly too given that United’s hierarchy, who by their own admission had failed to fathom a strategy for the future during the three months summer recess, eventually paid the Serb to leave a fortnight ago. Bang went a sizeable chunk of Heckingbottom’s transfer budget.

United average 1.7 points per game with Gibbs-White and 0.3 without.

His presence gives them a creative edge. But it also, given that Wolves are the ones in control of his future, highlights a major problem Heckingbottom must address. Next month’s visit to Molineux, a fixture the 21-year-old is required to miss, will reveal whether United have anyone capable of becoming, when Gibbs-White surely returns to the Midlands, their artistic director.

It is a vacancy which has existed at United ever since Mark Duffy was binned two years ago, following their promotion to the Premier League. Chris Wilder, who like Jokanovic endured a difficult relationship with the board, will argue his team went on to finish ninth the following season. A remarkable achievement but, as we were treated to the sight of some of the biggest names in English football looking to suffocate these upstarts from the Championship, probably one of the few mistakes he made during a remarkable reign which began with a League One title triumph.

Luke Freeman was supposed to step into the role, despite possessing a markedly different skill set. But let’s be frank, given that he’s only made 11 starts since arriving from QPR in 2019, it’s not going to happen. You couldn’t blame the lad either if he’s desperate to leave. Especially as he turns 30 in January.

Iliman Ndiaye is the most obvious replacement for Duffy and Gibbs-White. But if he excels, expect top-flight vultures to start circling above the young Frenchman. The same goes for any of the other academy graduates United want to build their new “strategic vision” around. Unless they return to the highest level. And even then, there’s a pecking order which demands any money from sales would need to be ring-fenced for reinvestment back into the squad to maintain quality levels. Never used to help pay wages, the mortgage on United’s ground or the loan they have taken out with an Australian bank. Otherwise the masterplan, most parts of which have yet to be articulated, simply won’t work.

Personally, I don’t buy the line being spoon-fed to the media that rejecting a £5m ‘offer’ from Everton for teenage striker Daniel Jebbison last summer indicates there has been a seismic shift in United’s ability to retain their finest homegrown talents. The fee being mentioned is small change for the Merseysiders and, although they clearly like him, suggests they want to see more before deciding whether or not to return with something serious. If that happens, the real test begins.

United’s results of late must be celebrated. But they shouldn’t be allowed to mask the fact that some serious challenges are looming on the horizon for Heckingbottom and his staff.

Gibbs-White being a notable exception, most of United’s most consistent players this term are at the wrong end of the age spectrum. The manager will probably have to trade during the window. But the people he would probably rather let go, or at least begin easing out of his eleven, are the ones he can’t afford to lose. Plenty of their more junior colleagues, however, probably are surplus to requirements.

They could also command higher price tags. But allowing them to go, whilst buying some time, would create another problem. United clearly don’t have the same resources as, say, Fulham or AFC Bournemouth? Why? Because although it might make sense, no team with the keys to a huge warchest bets so heavily on bringing kids through the system. Losing lots of mid-twenty somethings means, in 18 months or so, United will be under even greater pressure to spend.

Finding a replacement for Gibbs-White is something Heckingbottom must do in the not-so-distant future. Either that or be faced with the prospect of trying to overhaul their style. Something Jokanovic, for a variety of different reasons, struggled to do.