Sheffield United: Pressure on Rhian Brewster to deliver as ex-Liverpool man opens account in pre-season

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Rhian Brewster is aware of the expectation for him to come back and hit the ground running following injury, Sheffield United manager Paul Heckingbottom admits, after the Blades' record signing got off the mark in pre-season.

The former Liverpool man scored two goals as United beat Lincoln City 4-0 in the second of two 60-minute practice games on Tuesday afternoon, with United registering a 6-0 aggregate win over the League One side at their Shirecliffe training base.

Brewster was on the scoresheet for the first time since he suffered a season-ending hamstring injury last season away at Peterborough, but looked sharp as he snapped into tackles - and even got up close and personal with Lincoln skipper Adam Jackson at one point following a coming-together between the two.

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Brewster was carefully managed in the early part of pre-season, in a bid to protect his hamstring, but is now working full-tilt to be ready for the season opener on August 1 away at recently-relegated Watford.

"There is going to be no pressure on him to be capable of playing 90 minutes week in week out," Heckingbottom said.

"But there will be a pressure on him to deliver goals and an intensity to his game that he can use.

"He knows that and he's working really hard towards that.

Sheffield United striker Rhian Brewster was on the scoresheet against Lincoln City - Sheffield UnitedSheffield United striker Rhian Brewster was on the scoresheet against Lincoln City - Sheffield United
Sheffield United striker Rhian Brewster was on the scoresheet against Lincoln City - Sheffield United

"It's good to have him back; he's done more or less all the sessions now. We looked after him in the beginning, to build him up slowly, but he's done the same as the rest of the boys recently and we're happy with that.

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"We're just looking to build his intensity and keep him on the pitch."

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