Sheffield United: Daniel Jebbison ready to get "nasty" thanks to Chelsea legend
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The 18-year-old scored twice on his return to the Pirelli Stadium tonight, as Paul Heckingbottom’s side won the penultimate match of their summer warm-up programme 3-0.
Jebbison, who will sit out tomorrow’s visit to Barnsley after completing the full 90 minutes in Staffordshire, has now found the back of the net three times since United’s preparations for next month’s game against Watford began in earnest.
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Hide AdSpeaking after his brace, which was augmented by Enda Stevens’ second-half finish, Jebbison told The Star that learning from Hasselbaink, previously of Chelsea, Atletico Madrid and Holland, has transformed his game.
“I just want to say ‘thank you’ to Jimmy and to Burton, because they brought me on and helped me so much,” he said. “Being here, it turned me into a man really. Because I was playing mans’ football on a regular basis and because of what Jimmy taught me - he was one of the best there was when he was still a player - I feel a lot more complete now.
“There’s still a lot to come from me. But I definitely feel as if I’m a much better player now than when I first came through.”
After watching him score on his full senior debut before they were relegated from the Premier League, United dispatched Jebbison to Albion at the beginning of the previous campaign to allow him to work under Hasselbaink - one of the finest goalscorers of his generation.
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Hide AdPaul Heckingbottom, the United manager, was forced to recall Jebbison in January following an injury crisis at Bramall Lane. After hitting the target nine times in 23 outings for Albion, Jebbison, who helped England win the UEFA under-19 championships earlier this month, made nine appearances for United as they reached the play-off semi-finals.
Hoping that his latest performance has put him in contention for a start at Vicarage Road, Jebbison said: “Jimmy, he helped me find a nasty side to my game I didn’t think I had in me. Now I’m just looking at Watford, nothing else.”