'100 per cent' - Hull City boss makes Oli McBurnie to Sheffield United transfer admission
Sheffield United expressed interest in re-signing Oli McBurnie last summer before he sealed a move to Hull City - but it could have worked out so differently.
Hull City head coach Sergej Jakirović has claimed Oli McBurnie would have “100 per cent” returned to Sheffield United had Chris Wilder been in charge at Bramall Lane last summer.
Jakirović made the admission after watching McBurnie fire Hull to promotion to the Premier League with a 1-0 win over Middlesbrough in Saturday’s Championship play-off final at Wembley.
After Middlesbrough goalkeeper Sol Brynn could only parry away Yū Hirakawa’s cross from the left, McBurnie was on hand to gobble up the rebound, scoring a dramatic winner with 95 minutes on the clock.
The Scot joined the Tigers on a free transfer from Spanish club Las Palmas last summer after previously being the subject of interest from a handful of Championship clubs including the Blades.
United, as reported by The Star at the time, were interested in re-signing the former Swansea City man and held talks with his camp about a return to Bramall Lane.
However, sources suggested that the terms on offer were not comparable to McBurnie’s other offers in the Championship, and he was snapped up by Hull, signing a three-year deal at the MKM Stadium.
United, at that juncture, were under the stewardship of former boss Rubén Sellés, who was not keen on the idea of adding McBurnie to his attacking ranks. However, Wilder, who returned to S2 in September, being reinstated as manager after Sellés short stint in charge, soon admitted he would have made a strong push to be reunited with the striker, going as far as saying “he should have a red and white shirt on”.
Having now fired Hull back to the Premier League for the first time since 2017, Jakirović has admitted he doubts McBurnie would have ended up in East Yorkshire had Wilder been in charge in S2 during last summer’s transfer window.
"We signed Oli McBurnie three days before the season,” Jakirović admitted in his post-match press conference at Wembley on Saturday. “I spoke with him in June, waiting for him for three months.
"Very lucky he came here as Chris Wilder is his football father. Big experience of the Championship - he handles pressure, easy. He is ready for these types of games.
"If Wilder was Sheffield United was head coach [last summer] then Oli would be a Sheffield United player, 100 per cent."
McBurnie enjoyed an outstanding debut season in Hull colours, scoring 19 goals and registering seven assists in 42 appearances across all competitions. He was on the scoresheet when Hull lost 2-1 to the Blades at Bramall Lane last month.