Sheffield united: People were "talking rubbish" about Sander Berge says the boss
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Berge remained at Bramall Lane on deadline day, despite being the subject of intense interest from Club Brugge and a number of Premier League clubs, who wanted to sign him on loan, before the market closed for business.
The 24-year-old scored his third goal of the season during United’s win over Hull City, which saw them regain first place in the Championship table ahead of Saturday’s derby against Rotherham.
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Heckingbottom, who watched Oli McBurnie open the scoring for the visitors, told The Star: “Sander has been brilliant. Everyone else has done the talking, talking rubbish and guessing about what was going to happen.
“He’s just been working hard, coming into training, putting it all in and producing some fantastic performances. I’m so pleased with how he’s behaved throughout all of this. I think that tells you a lot about him, not only as a player but also a person too.”
Despite inserting a £35m release clause into the contract Berge signed after completing a £22m move from Genk in January 2020, United received a number of enquiries about the midfielder. Brugge, the reigning Belgian champions, were the most persistent although Heckingbottom confirmed during his pre-match media conference last week that a number of top-flight teams had also made tentative approaches. These were rebutted by United’s board, despite speculation they were prepared to accept less than the figure stipulated within Berge’s deal.
“He had moments, in the first half here, when he shot from distance and that’s what we want him to do,” Heckingbottom said. “We want him to be positive because, even if it doesn’t go in or is saved, it could fall for someone else.”
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“We had to battle hard and work hard,” added Heckingbottom, who confirmed United had reported an allegation of racial abuse, aimed at their young defender Kyron Gordon, immediately after Berge’s strike. “It came down to big moments, as these things always do in this game.”