Sheffield United: Boss explains confusing comment ahead of Sunderland's visit
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Their fourth outing of the new league campaign, United enter the meeting with Alex Neil’s side on the back of a hard-fought draw with fellow Championship heavyweights Middlesbrough on Sunday.
Although he admitted to being disappointed by United’s failure to see out a game they twice led before being pegged back on both occasions, Heckingbottom told The Star he is encouraged by the start his players have made to a season which has also seen them overcome Millwall and beaten by Watford.
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Hide Ad“We aren’t there yet,” Heckingbottom said, “In terms of our potential but, to be honest, that’s quite a nice feeling to have. That’s because I’m seeing some really good signs out there and yet there are lads involved who aren’t quite there yet in terms of their fitness and sharpness, with regards to being totally up to full speed. When they are, then I think it’s going to be really exciting. We’re doing well right now and we’ve got to continue doing well. But I also know that we’re going to get a lot better just naturally, as things progress and move on because of the relationships that we’re building.”
Heckingbottom has been active in the transfer market over the summer, with Reda Khadra, Tommy Doyle, James McAtee and Ciaran Clark all arriving on loan from Premier League outfits.
Doyle’s preparations for the season were affected by injury but Khadra is fully fit, despite remaining on the bench over the weekend. The Brighton and Hove Albion attacker will be hoping for a more prominent role against opponents who gained promotion via the League One play-offs last term.
“Reda is up there, fitness and sharpness-wise,” Heckingbottom said, outlining why he brought on Oli McBurnie rather than Khadra during the closing stages of the trip to Teesside. “Against West Brom (in the Carabao Cup) I saw some really good signs from him. We’re still getting to know him though and he’s still getting to know us, learning about how he can be most effective such as not coming too deep because we want him up against the last line.”
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Hide Ad“Reda came in late but he’d had a pre-season,” Heckingbottom continued. “Tommy was a little bit different and he’s a bit farther behind, which you would expect. We need to get him some minutes on the pitch and maybe in some friendlies to get him right back to where he needs to be. But he’s going to be an important player for us and it won’t be long.”
Clark will miss the clash with Sunderland due to a hamstring complaint, with midfielder Ben Osborn also suffering from the same issue. Billy Sharp, the United captain, is also set to watch from the stands as he awaits to discover the exact nature and extent of the ankle damage he sustained against Middlesbrough.
“Things will naturally develop as the season begins to settle down,” Heckingbottom said. “We’ve got some important people to come back who are out at the moment, like Jayden Bogle, and people we know are going to keep on improving. So I find that really encouraging and exciting.”