Oli McBurnie hails Sheffield United teammate John Fleck - and can't believe he didn't become a Rangers legend

Oli McBurnie and John Fleck of Sheffield United: Simon Bellis/Sportimage

Fleck grew up at Rangers, the club that McBurnie supports, and made his first-team debut at 15 years old. He was seen as one of the Glasgow giants' brightest prospects but, reportedly frustrated by a lack of game time, left in 2012 to join Coventry City.

Fleck then joined the Blades on a free transfer when they were in League One, and has played a key role in helping Chris Wilder's side win two promotions in three years to reach the Premier League.

And McBurnie, who joined United in the summer in a £20m deal, revealed on the Keeping the Ball on the Ground podcast when he first realised how good his Scotland international teammate is.

"I realised when we played Liverpool," McBurnie revealed.

"Flecky bossed it, ran the show. We lost 1-0 but Flecky was a joke.

"I can't believe the level he's played at until now. In our formation, it's perfect – he has all that left side and can do whatever he wants."

McBurnie was asked on the podcast if he had ever discussed Fleck's Rangers exit with the man himself.

"I've tried," the striker admitted. "I've got one of his Rangers tops from when he was a kid.

"Everything at the club wasn't great at the time and he wanted to go and play football.

"But it still baffles me how he never ended up being like a Barry Ferguson."

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to The Star website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content.

Visit https://www.thestar.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.