Sheffield United: Former Scotland international identifies why Oli McBurnie has struggled
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Clearly the latter is nonsensical. Otherwise the centre-forward wouldn’t have scored 24 times in his last 44 outings for Swansea City. And those intent on peddling it conveniently forget that two of those efforts came against his now employers. Which would mean, if that bizarre hypothesis is correct, the squad he joined three years ago following its promotion from the Championship wasn’t quite as brilliant as everyone first thought.
Speaking at the Randox Health Academy earlier this week, where he revealed McBurnie is closing in on a return to full fitness after missing the end of last season with a foot injury, United’s assistant manager Stuart McCall shared his own thoughts on the subject with representatives of the regional media.
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Hide AdA shrewd judge of a player - Paul Heckingbottom’s assistant was credited with the decision to deploy Sander Berge in a more advanced role, which has since turbo-charged the Norwegian’s form - McCall remains convinced there is a very simple reason for McBurnie’s struggles of late.
“Oli needs a good run in the side,” he said, acknowledging the Scotland international understands he needs to improve his goal ratio. “He knows, when you look at what the club paid for him, that you need to bring more than just hard work.
“He’s got to get himself into physical shape which he is doing. He’s mentally switched on and he’s desperate to do well.
“Let’s judge him in a couple months, when he’s not had an injury-hit time of it. Since we’ve been in since November, he’s not been able to play three or four games on the bounce. The key, for me, is getting him on the pitch regularly.”
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Hide AdDespite making progress in his battle to overcome the problem which forced him to sit-out May’s Championship semi-final against Nottingham Forest, tomorrow’s Carabao Cup tie at West Bromwich Albion will come too soon for McBurnie who instead took part in an under-21’s fixture yesterday.
But he could enter the selection equation later this month, If that does happen, despite scoring only eight times in 95 appearances since completing a £20m move to South Yorkshire, then McCall is convinced McBurnie can prove an important asset.
“It’s been personally frustrating for me with Oli because I really like him,” he admitted. “There’s always been something wrong with him but, I tell you what, more often that not that’s because he’s deliberately put himself in a position where he knows that might happen for the sake of the side.
“When he comes back, he’ll bring a work rate and endeavour. He’s also got pace and aerial ability.”
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Hide AdDespite McCall’s confidence in McBurnie’s ability, the player himself would probably prefer to do a little less heading and more running. After all, it was the ability to drag defenders out of position which brought him so much success in south Wales.
McBurnie worked with Heckingbottom at Barnsley, another of his former clubs, and McCall said: “Hecky knows Oli from his time there, which will be good.”