Sheffield United's Daniel Jebbison returns to Blades a new player and man after Burton Albion loan

But then again, he is perhaps also perfectly placed and his words – “The manager could knock on your door at any moment” – were certainly from the heart.

Jebbison was certainly ready when opportunity knocked towards the back end of last season. Battered, bruised and all-too-often beaten throughout a bruising campaign, United’s U23 coach Paul Heckingbottom was installed as Chris Wilder’s temporary successor and looked to the youth team for some players unscarred by what had gone before.

Iliman Ndiaye was one, the young Frenchman making his Premier League debut in Heckingbottom’s first game in temporary charge. A number of others made appearances on United’s teamsheet throughout the season.

But none made the impression of Jebbison, who became the youngest player in Premier League history to score on his full debut when he finished confidently in front of an empty Goodison Park to make all his wildest dreams come true.

A raw talent

Jebbison was raw, but the potential was obvious. Quick and direct, and with an eye for goal, England youth honours soon arrived, before he was earmarked for a loan to accelerate his development.

A host of clubs were interested in signing him permanently. Prince Abdullah, the Blades owner, revealed in the summer that United had turned down an offer, believed to be from Everton.

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A loan move to Beerschot, United’s sister club in Belgium, was mooted and quickly declined. Sunderland, the giants of League One struggling to escape its clutches, were interested.

But Jebbison instead packed his bags and headed for Staffordshire, to work under former Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. There were few better mentors to work under in the English Football League, he reasoned. And nine goals in half a League One season tells its own story, ahead of being recalled by United last week.

Almost a perfect 10

“I wanted to get 10, but I was nearly there. I can maybe get another 10 in the second half of the season!” smiled Jebbison revealed after linking back up with United, his words laced with confidence and boyish enthusiasm but also deadly seriousness.

“I'm just trying to get myself back into the squad, work hard. I'm only here to please the manager and get my head down, focus on that. Do my extras and stuff like that.

“He knows all the academy players here. I gave some advice to the youth players recently, saying: ‘You know him and he knows you, so he could knock on your door at any moment and say your time has come. So be ready.’”

During his time at the Pirelli Stadium, Jebbison demonstrated a knack for scoring all types of goals. There were eye-catching curling finishes, two-yard tap-ins and gifts from the goalkeeper after he badly mis-kicked a clearance.

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But the value of Jebbison’s loan was not just in its spoils, the goals he plundered and the points won for Hasselbaink’s men. It will be measured in the maturity he will have gained from moving out of his comfort zone – again, considering he was born thousands of miles away in Canada before his family uprooted to further his prospects of a professional football career.

In the tips of the trade he picked up from Hasselbaink, a feared forward in his day good enough to earn 23 caps for the Netherlands and win the golden boot in both the Premier League and Copa del Rey.

In his performances when he inevitably gets gametime for the Blades between now and the end of the season, especially in light of Rhian Brewster’s campaign-ending hamstring injury and the loan departures of both Lys Mousset and Oliver Burke.

A big role to play

“I'm pleased to come back from my loan spell,” Jebbison admitted.

“I enjoyed it, but I'm with Paul now. He gave me my debut and gave me a kick-on in my career, so I'm happy and thankful. There were rumours [about being recalled by United] but I wasn't focusing on it too much. I was just focusing on playing at Burton and having fun.

“Then I was told I was coming back, because injuries and stuff had a big influence on their choice. I just want to come back and bring what I've learned from Jimmy, how I've developed and try and help the team go up the table.”

Hasselbaink described Jebbison as “a breath of fresh air” during his time at Burton, adding: “We're obviously sorry to see him go. He's one of those players that really lights up the place with his personality.

“It goes without saying but we wish him really well for the future."

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Burton left a big impression on Jebbison, too. He has been back to the Pirelli to watch his former teammates play since being recalled, and enthused about the effect the loan spell had on him.

“Just playing men’s football; that's what you need,” he said.

“To play football, that's how you're going to improve. For me it was playing against men and getting roughed up.

“Now I’ve got to try to bring that into my game. I think I improved a lot, on and off the pitch, but there's still some room for improvement everywhere.

“You can always improve and I always want to get better and be the best. But I think the fans will see a big change.”

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