Sheffield United: Amazing prediction made about Oli McBurnie's season
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In a remarkable show of faith, given that McBurnie has netted only eight times in 98 appearances since arriving leaving Swansea City three years ago, Heckingbottom selected the 26-year-old in the starting eleven for last weekend’s win over Blackburn Rovers; a result which means they will enter Friday’s match at Luton Town on top of the fledgling table.
With McBurnie entering the visit to Kenilworth Road on the back of his best display in a United jersey since the club was relegated from the Premier League, Heckingbottom was asked if the Scotland international can reach double figures for the campaign.
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Hide Ad“I would put my house on it but it’s the minutes,” he replied. “I can’t guarantee him games, he has to go and get them. If I could guarantee he would play every game he would get well into double figures but he has other players who also play in his position.
“If we can get them all to that level, and fit and firing, it gives me a headache, but a good one.”
Despite his huge show of support for McBurnie, Heckingbottom is wrestling with a major selection dilemma ahead of the match in Bedfordshire. Reda Khadra, on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion, also impressed against Rovers. But Iliman Ndiaye scored twice after being introduced as a second-half substitute, meaning he will prove almost impossible to leave out. And coaching staff, who have indicated tactics as well as form will influence their selection decisions, seem to believe they think the Senegal international is best suited to working alongside Rhian Brewster. Teenager Daniel Jebbison will also be hoping for a recall, after featuring in United’s first choice eleven during this term’s opening round of games.
“If we can get them all to that level, and fit and firing, it gives me a headache, but a good one,” said Heckingbottom, whose side beat Millwall and Sunderland, drew with Middlesbrough and lost at Watford before dispatching Rovers. “I want goals from everyone - centre backs,
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Hide Adwing backs and certainly midfielders, so I can’t say we need a 20-goal striker because we don’t.
“We just need to score as many goals as possible.
“We don’t want to be one-dimensional. We scored different types of goals against Blackburn and Sunderland.”
McBurnie, who cost £20m after leaving south Wales, is among a number of senior United players whose contracts are set to expire next summer. Although he has endured a torrid time with injury and illness over the past 12 months, Heckingbottom’s predecessor Chris Wilder insisted McBurnie repaid most if not all of that fee by helping United finish ninth in the top-flight during his penultimate season in charge. That saw them earn more than £132m in prize money, commercial revenue and merit payments, as opposed to an estimated £7.1m the year before.
“Some of his physical outputs then were top drawer, and we will get him back to those levels,” said Heckingbottom. “He was as strong when we took him off (against Rovers) as when he started which is good.”