Sheffield United receive Man City judgement on duo's progress
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After helping Paul Heckingbottom’s side win promotion from the Championship, the duo are set to make the penultimate appearances of the campaign at Huddersfield Town on Thursday as Paul Heckingbottom’s side look to set a new club record for points collected in the second tier.
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As United’s coaching staff hope to begin planning for next term shortly, Heckingbottom has admitted Doyle and McAtee are “the type” of player he would like to continue working with “in the future”. Although United could be tempted to try and bring them both back to South Yorkshire - something which would only be possible if they brokered a permanent deal for one - Heckingbottom hopes that whatever happens, Guardiola will now view South Yorkshire as the first port of call for any other youngsters the Premier League title-holders want to develop.
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“Before the World Cup, I had to fill in a form for Manchester City about them both,” Stuart McCall, Heckingbottom’s assistant, said. “I was writing about the standards they were setting in training, and the standards that we set ourselves, the ones they had to adhere to. I know they’ll already have gone into that before agreeing (to let Doyle and McAtee). But it was important to reiterate and we know they are happy with how things have gone. Not just during the games themselves but away from the matches too, in the week and in training.”
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Given the sheer volume of work facing United this summer - with 14 players approaching the end of their present contracts and key areas in need of strengthening ahead of their return to top-flight football - Heckingbottom has warned owner Prince Abdullah bin Musa’ad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud that he can not afford to wait a moment longer before beginning the process of reprofiling his squad. Given the pressure on United’s finances, Heckingbottom is again expected to make use of the loan market to draft in talent which would otherwise be beyond his reach. That means City’s judgement on how Doyle and McAtee have been handled will be an effective weapon for him to use in what is likely to be an extremely competitive market. The country’s other leading names, who have large pools of players at their disposal, will also have noted how the pair have matured both on the pitch and off it.
“It’s a mindset,” McCall, the former Scotland, Rangers, Everton and United midfielder, said. “When I was a player, my judgement was always that I wanted to be the best in training, the best in the warm-ups and so on. They, and all of the others, have that same outlook. As a player, if it needs to be rammed into you then you probably don’t have the right desire in the first place. But those lads clearly do and that’s come across clearly. I know they’ve been happy with how it’s gone.”