Ex-Sheffield United striker Carl Asaba makes Jordan Ayew admission after full debut
Carl Asaba on Jordan Ayew: “He’s got goals in him”
Former Sheffield United striker Carl Asaba has insisted that Jordan Ayew needs minutes on the pitch in order to get the best out of the new Blade.
Asaba went on to state he doesn’t believe that United are playing in a way so as to get the best out of Tom Cannon.
Ghana skipper Ayew joined United in September as a free agent after his contract with Leicester City expired.
Ayew is, in effect, the Callum O’Hare replacement after he was sold to Wrexham on deadline day for around £7 million.
He’s arguably the closest player to a number ten Wilder has at his disposal.
After the 35-year-old made his full Blades debut against Bristol on Saturday, many fans were left wondering how Wilder can get the best out of the former Premier League man.
Speaking on The Star’s ‘Inside Bramall Lane’ podcast, Asaba said, “The start is getting him on the pitch because he desperately needs fitness. I made a comment on the radio in the match: the first 15-20 minutes, I thought he was doing really well; he's pressing, then there was a period where he looked like he was getting a second breath and he wasn't as close.
“He wasn't pressing as well as Cannon and on the other side,” he continued. “But he can only get match fitness by being on the pitch. It's hard to play a player like that in the under-21s because there's a risk of injury.”
Ayew recorded 305 Premier League appearances and scored 42 goals across a 10-year span in the top flight.
“He's been there, he's done it, we know he's got goals in him. For me, I find the striking department really tricky at the moment because you've got Bamford, who is our number one striker, Cannon's working his socks off,” he added.
Tom Cannon has played 251 minutes in United's last three games, across seven days.
“Again, he worked his socks off,” Asaba said.
“He keeps getting up and trying to work it, but there were several times you can see Cannon's making these runs into the channel, and we're not a channel-running team; we're happy to play him behind and move up the pitch progressively, and I don't think it's suiting Cannon. He's a really willing runner into the channels, and we're not direct enough for him.”