Sheffield United given encouragement over former transfer target after manager gives green light to leave
Sheffield United given encouragement over former transfer target after manager gives green light to leave
Sheffield United may have just received some encouragement if they resurrect their transfer interest in former midfielder Tommy Doyle, after his current manager at Wolves suggested that he could leave Molineux in the summer. Doyle was a fan favourite at Bramall Lane after spending a season on loan from Manchester City in 2022/23.
Doyle made no secret of his desire to return to United for their Premier League adventure the following season but the Blades instead re-signed his City teammate James McAtee on loan and Doyle moved to Molineux as part of the Matheus Nunes move.
Still only 23, Doyle has been restricted to bit-part roles in recent months under Vitor Pereira and his hopes of forcing his way back into the Portuguese’s plans has not been helped by an interview in which he insisted Doyle is “missing the physicality to face this league.”
“To run 50 metres, to come back 50 metres and then go 50 metres again,” he told our sister ‘paper the Express and Star. “We are not a team to have 80 per cent of possession, so he has problems. If we are a team that has the ball every time, doesn’t allow counter-attacks and keeps the ball to dominate the opponent, this is the team for him.
“But we need to understand that we face top teams, top players. We need to run a lot and he’s missing this physicality, especially when we play with two midfielders. With three midfielders, I believe he is a 10 with high quality. The last pass, shots, crosses – he has those skills.”
United considered a move for Doyle in January as they sought midfield reinforcements, eventually landing their top target in Leicester City midfielder Hamza Choudhury, and could resurrect their interest in the summer if they don’t take up their option to make Choudury’s loan move permanent.
“Usually, at the end of a season, I have a conversation with the players to understand,” he added. “If I have a conversation with a player and they say they are not happy because they want to play, and I can’t guarantee they will play a lot of games next season, then this is a decision.
“It’s not a decision just from my part or the club’s part, it’s a conversation between the coach, the club and the player to decide. I believe we cannot be in a place if we are not happy, because we cannot be ourselves. You need to have players here with their mind and heart here, happy, because they feel this happiness inside.”