Sheffield United: Republic of Ireland star on Luton Town and the untold story of Bramall Lane's season
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The Republic of Ireland centre-half refuses to identify who offered the piece of advice which has helped shape his professional career, although the wink he flashes after shutting down that line of enquiry suggests it was probably his late father - a Gaellic football legend. Still, given the remarkable powers of recovery Paul Heckingbottom’s team have demonstrated since May’s crushing defeat to Nottingham Forest, those sage words clearly resonated. Rather than wallow in self-pity and drown in regret, United enter tomorrow night’s match at Luton Town searching for their fourth win in six outings and unbeaten in four games. It is a far cry, Egan admits, from the beginning of last season when an uninspiring series of results after being relegated from the Premier League meant their hopes of automatic promotion were effectively over by the time Slavisa Jokanovic was sacked in November.
“It was important we didn’t have a hangover again or anything like that,” he continues, acknowledging Heckingbottom stressed the importance of making a fast start during the summer recess. “To be honest, I didn’t have too much time to think about what happened because I was straight into a series of internationals with my country.
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Hide Ad“Looking back, that was probably a really good thing, because to come so close and then fall at the hurdle, especially when it’s on penalties, was so disappointing. But you take whatever positives you can - going out that way was better than getting slaughtered I suppose - and you draw a line under everything.
“We all went our separate ways, didn’t see each other until the start of pre-season, and by then we were all really focused and refreshed. If you get a set-back then, in this business, you have to dust yourself down and start again. There was a real good feeling around the place when we came back in.”
The presence of some new faces, including loanees Reda Khadra, Tommy Doyle, James McAtee and his compatriot Ciaran Clark helped, Egan stresses, to lift the mood at Bramall Lane. The same goes for Anel Ahmedhozic, whose performances since completing a £3m move from Malmo have captured the imagination of coaching staff, supporters and team mates alike.
“It’s vital there’s competition because it really drives standards. Anel has done brilliant. He’s got real quality.”
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Hide AdBut as impressed as Egan has been by the Bosnia and Herzegovina international’s seamless transition to life in South Yorkshire, it is the performances of youngster Rhys Norrington-Davies which have made the biggest impression. The 23-year-old, who received his first call-up for Wales during a spell on loan at Luton 22 months ago, is quickly maturing into a mult-faceted defender capable of performing either at wing-back or alongside Egan and Ahmedhodzic at the heart of United’s rearguard.
“Rhys’ growth has been brilliant. It’s a slightly new position for him but he’s listened, taken everything on board and is a phenomenal athlete. He’s come in to the middle and, even though some people might regard his natural position as being out wider, you wouldn’t think so. Game on game, every time he steps out onto the pitch, you see an improvement in him.
“On top of that, he’s a quality player with great experience for someone of his age. The fact he’s got that experience is through his performance levels.”
Norrington-Davies is expected to continue at centre-half when he returns to Kenilworth Road, where United will attempt to record a second straight clean sheet following last weekend’s 3-0 win over Blackburn Rovers. Luton, meanwhile, are 18th.
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Hide Ad“A Bosnian, a Welshman and an Irishman, it sounds like the start of a joke,” Egan smiles. “It’s modern day football and Anel’s English is really good. Us and (goalkeeper) Wes Foderingham, we’re the ones who see everything in front of us. Especially Wes and I, because the other two lads will look to get forward a bit more at times. So naturally, that’s where the vocal stuff has to come from, Wes and I, because we can see everything.”
Organising is something which comes easily to Egan, who will wear the captain’s armband in Billy Sharp’s absence.
“When the skip isn’t fit, I’ll usually lead the lads out. But with or without that, I like being a leader anyone. The same goes for a lot of the other boys too. There are a lot of ‘captains’ in this group, a lot of experience and we’re vocal with each other. If something needs to be said, we’ll have no problem saying it to each other.”
Although United’s push for a return to the top-flight is being built on a rock solid defence, the number of goals they score will ultimately shape their campaign. Egan believes the arrival of Khadra, Doyle and McAtee, borrowed from Brighton and Manchester City respectively, has turbo-charged an attack already boasting the likes of Rhian Brewster, Oli McBurnie, Sander Berge and, when he recovers from an ankle problem, the evergreen Sharp.
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Hide Ad“When I played against Reda last season, when he was on loan at Blackburn, he was very tricky, very direct and he wants to get at you,” Egan says. “He can go either way and it’s nice to be playing with him rather than against him.
“The other lads are all quality too, they’ve shown that in training and when they’ve played. It gives everyone a lift seeing lads like that come in. They bring quality with them and you want to show them that you’re a good player as well. Everyone has upped their standards.”