Sheffield United: Manager identifies two of the most under-valued players at Bramall Lane
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Speaking ahead of the meeting with Russell Martin’s side, the 44-year-old hailed the contributions of both Oliver Norwood and John Egan to a run of form which has seen his team reach the top of the Championship table.
Although the likes of Iliman Ndiaye and new signing Anel Ahmedhodzic have dominated the conversation surrounding United’s squad this term, while Oli McBurnie’s goal scoring exploits are also creating headlines, Heckingbottom said: “Oliver Norwood has been excellent this season. I got to know him a few years ago as a person, which helped.
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“He looks after himself and he never misses training. He always makes himself available and puts everything in. Oli and John Egan are under-rated by many, in terms of how important they are to us.
“But not by us. They get it. They are really important for us.”
Norwood, the former Northern Ireland midfielder, and Egan, who represents the Republic of Ireland, are both veterans of the United squad which finished ninth in the Premier League two years ago after gaining promotion under Heckingbottom’s predecessor Chris Wilder. United were relegated a season later, with Heckingbottom being placed in caretaker charge following Wilder’s departure, although his brief was to organise an orderly exit following a campaign overshadowed by tensions between the boot room and the boardroom.
After being handed the reins on a permanent basis when Slavisa Jokanovic, the man tasked with succeeding Wilder departed in similar circumstances, Heckingbottom led United into the play-off semi-finals last term before overseeing his first pre-season.
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Hide AdThat saw Reda Khadra, James McAtee, Tommy Doyle and Ciaran Clark arrive at United on loan while Ahmedhodzic and Adam Davies agreed permanent moves. Khadra’s agreement contains an option to buy clause, negotiated with his parent club Brighton and Hove Albion.
“I want tough people,” he said. “I want people who can drag people with them. John, Oli and plenty of others here fall into that category. That’s the character we need here, and that we’ve tried to bring in.”