Sheffield United impress Man City, which can aid Premier League loans

The midfielders, who are both contracted to Pep Guardiola’s side, both made significant contributions to United’s promotion from the Championship after enduring chequered starts to the campaign. Doyle, who is expected to emerge as a target for Heckingbottom when he begins reprofiling his options ahead of the new top-flight campaign, could make his 37th appearance in United colours at Huddersfield Town on Thursday and scored the goal which propelled them into the semi-finals of the FA Cup where they faced City last month. Like McAtee, who was also prevented from taking part in that game, the 21-year-old was forced to earn a place in Heckingbottom’s starting eleven. Reflecting upon the duo’s experiences, the former Barnsley, Leeds and Hibernian chief believes they way they have been handled will resonate with Guardiola and other leading names within the English game.

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“They’ve both had to work for what they’ve got, it wasn’t handed to them,” he told The Star. “I think that’s important because, when they’re looking to try and make it at City, they won’t be given any favours. They’ve got to get past some world class players to do that and so they’ve got to prove they are worth it or better.”

“That’s exactly the same as they’ve done here,” Heckingbottom continued. “I know when they first came in, they were both really surprised by the quality and the standards that the lads set themselves.

“They responded in exactly the right way, and that’s why they’ve done what they’ve done.”

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Speaking before United guaranteed their return to the highest level with three matches to spare, Heckingbottom hinted he would like to work with their pair again in the future. Guardiola and his advisors will decide whether that wish is granted or not. But in order for that to happen, PL rules dictate that United must sign one on a permanent basis. The maximum number of temporary registrations Heckingbottom will not be allowed to process is four, with “under no circumstances shall more than one be from the same club at any one time.”

Charting the journeys Doyle and McAtee have taken since arriving in South Yorkshire, Heckingbottom suspects they will have followed exactly the route Guardiola had hoped for when sanctioning their departures. Speaking before United’s FA Cup semi-final against City last month, the Catalan expressed his disappointment that neither were eligible for selection against their parent club; confirming he would have allowed both to feature at Wembley.

“I know, with speaking to not only the two lads but also their families as well, that they are really happy with how things have gone,” Heckingbottom said. “That’s obviously great for us to hear but it also tells you a lot about them too, because they know they’ve had to work hard for everything they’ve got here. Credit to them that that’s exactly what they’ve done.”

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