'Now is my time' - Sheffield United winger Romelle Donovan makes honest point about his development
Romelle Donovan is excited to see how he will adapt to life back in the Championship after joining Sheffield United on loan from Brentford.
Winger Romelle Donovan is looking forward to seeing how much he has improved since he last played in the Championship following his recent move to Sheffield United, claiming now is the time for him to be judged.
The 19-year-old sealed a season-long loan move to Bramall Lane last week, arriving from Premier League club Brentford. He made his non-competitive debut for the Blades on Saturday, starting their goalless draw with Chesterfield at the SMH Group Stadium.
Donovan started his career at Birmingham City, who will visit S2 on the opening day of the 2026/27 Championship campaign next month, and made his Championship debut at the age of just 16, appearing as a second half substitute in a 2-0 defeat to Hull City in October 2023.
The attacker made seven Championship appearances for the Blues prior to initially joining Brentford on loan in February 2025. Having made sharp progress during his time with the Bees, all eyes are on Donovan to see how he adjusts to life back in the second tier having matured as both a player and as a person since last Championship stint.
Donovan told United’s YouTube channel: “I want to kick on in my football career now and start playing regularly, getting minutes under my belt and also showing what I am about and testing myself.
“I have obviously played in the Championship before, but that was when I was younger. I feel like you can’t really judge me because I was only a little boy then. Now is my time to really go and show people what I am about from a mature level and also from a playing level.
“I was very raw and very young around that time. It’s natural.
“I made my debut under Wayne Rooney and that sort of gave me that boost to play freely and not really care, which has been a big aspect of my game. But I now see the other side of the game where it actually means something to people and there are other sides of the game that I have to be aware of.
“I feel my time at Brentford, being around a Premier League environment, being on the bench, I think having all of those experiences has thoroughly matured me. I have learned a lot from my game since I was 16.
“I think it is good to come back [to the Championship] and test that now and see how far I have really come on. But also to just prove to myself that I can perform at this level consistently.”