John Fleck's honest admission about Sheffield United form as he fondly remembers Blackpool loan from Rangers

Fleck, a key man in United’s rise from League One to the Premier League under Chris Wilder, was linked with a £20m move to Arsenal while the Blades were in the top flight and was named in the Scotland squad for the European Championships this summer.

But he has struggled to consistently hit those heights so far this season and admitted his season so far has been “a bit of a mixed bag, to be honest.

“The main thing for me is always working hard and trying my hardest,” he added, “and hopefully in the coming weeks I can play a bit better on the ball and get back to being that player again.”

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Fleck had a loan move at Blackpool, United’s opponents this weekend, when he was a youngster at Rangers – shortly after a planned loan move to Bramall Lane fell through late in the transfer window.

“It was good,” Fleck said of his time at Blackpool.

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“It was good to get out and get some games at that stage of my career, when I was trying to find myself as a player if you like. I had Barry Ferguson down there already and he made it a little bit easier for me, after knowing him from Rangers.

“It was great. At that stage it was fantastic to know someone, moving away from home for the first time in my life, and that was a massive help.”

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