Sheffield United: Boss hails huge statement of intent in the battle for promotion
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Berge was the subject of at least two bids from Club Brugge before last week’s deadline, while a number of Premier League sides, including Chelsea, expressed an interest in signing him on loan.
Although he acknowledged United were not the only Championship team to reject approaches for a key name over the summer, with Blackburn Rovers retaining Ben Brereton-Diaz’s services and Ismaila Sarr and Joao Pedro both remaining at Watford, Heckingbottom said: “I think we made a good statement. We aren’t the only ones in this league looking to be at the top end who turned down good offers for good players.
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“But if we had sold, then we would have been giving them a massive advantage.”
Berge, aged 24, responded to claims he might have been distracted by the speculation surrounding his future by scoring United’s second goal during the 2-0 win over Hull City. That result meant they began preparing for Saturday’s meeting with Rotherham at the top of the table, although Norwich City could have replaced them by the time they face their South Yorkshire neighbours.
Berge has a £35m release clause written into his contract and Heckingbottom said: “We all know it could have been taken out of our hands. But fortunately it wasn’t.”