'Got quality' - Chris Wilder sends Sheffield United challenge to Tahith Chong
Tahith Chong made his presence felt in Sheffield United’s 3-0 win over Lincoln City on Saturday afternoon.
Manager Chris Wilder has challenged winger Tahith Chong to show greater consistency after he scored his first goal for Sheffield United in Saturday’s 3-0 win over Lincoln City at Bramall Lane.
After making three appearances for Curaçao during the international break, Chong was named in the starting line-up for the visit of the Imps, making his first Championship start of the campaign.
The former Luton Town attacker, who moved to Bramall Lane just over a year ago, had made just three appearances before the international break because of an injury issue. His only previous start for the Blades this season came against Mansfield Town in the first round of the Carabao Cup in August.
Having been given the nod to make his first Championship start since April, Chong made his mark by scoring United’s second goal with a well-taken finish after being played through by Joe Rothwell. Having netted his first goal in United colours, Wilder is hopeful that the Curaçao international will build on this performance, insisting that he had been pleased with Chong’s displays during pre-season.
”We've assessed and monitored him over that period,” Wilder told BBC Radio Sheffield, reflecting on how the international break served Chong well. “We talked about Chongy as an important player for this year. I thought he had a really good pre-season, so [I was] disappointed that he got injured as well. There's been some big players out injured.
“He had a really good pre-season. We were looking forward to working with him. So, that was a blow not to have him as an option to battle it out with young Romelle [Donovan].
“But I’m delighted with his performance. You can see he can get at people, he can take people on. He’s got quality.
“You're not at Manchester United for that amount of time if you haven't got something about you. But like anybody else, like us all, we have to be better at our jobs and we have to show that consistency, and hopefully Chongy will show those consistent performances from now on.”