Sheffield United: Barnsley boss explains why The Blades "most dangerous" player is impossible to mark
Morgan Gibbs-White has been labelled Sheffield United’s most “dangerous” player by Barnsley manager Poya Asbaghi.
The midfielder, on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers, scored his 10th goal of the season and ninth for United, during Saturday’s win over Barnsley.
Profiting from a delightful piece of improvisation by substitute Oli McBurnie, who adjusted his footwork before producing a defence splitting pass, Gibbs-White rounded Brad Collins before sliding home.
Asked why Gibbs-White is so effective, Asbaghi cited the 22-year-old’s movement and positional awareness, saying: “You can not take care of him by giving one specific instruction to a centre-half.
“Gibbs-White is a really good player. We know that. United have a lot of really good players but maybe, for me anyway, he is the one.”
“When he drops in behind the centre-backs to receive the ball, the areas he goes into and when he goes into them, that makes him very dangerous. It is not (stopping him) really a job for one specific person.”
Despite enjoying the better of the first half, Barnsley faded after Sander Berge fired United in front. Gibbs-White extended the hosts’ advantage during the closing stages, following McBurnie’s excellent assist. Speaking after watching his side extend their unbeaten run at Bramall Lane to 10 games, Paul Heckingbottom revealed McBurnie, who suffered a dead leg at Coventry City seven days earlier, had offered to play through the pain barrier against Blackpool in midweek before coaching staff vetoed the idea.
“To summarise,” Asbaghi continued, “For 55 minutes we were good and then we gave them confidence, the same as their crowd.”
