Sheffield United: Rhian Brewster shows he will be a powerful weapon next season
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The former Liverpool centre-forward, who became the most expensive purchase in United’s history following his £23.5m move from Anfield two years ago, scored with his first touch of the game during last weekend’s friendly against Scunthorpe. Having netted twice during a behind closed doors contest with Lincoln City four days earlier, it took his tally since being cleared for a return to action to three in only two warm-up outings.
Introduced during the closing stages of United’s visit to Glanford Park, Brewster is set to be handed a more prominent role when they visit Mansfield Town tomorrow as Paul Heckingbottom and his coaching staff attempt to ensure he is in the best condition possible for next month’s Championship opener at Watford.
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Hide AdWith that in mind, as United’s focus begins to drift towards August 1st’s trip to Hertfordshire, Brewster is following a programme which allows him to perform in bursts as conditioners build his fitness naturally.
“We want impact in the pitch from Rhian in terms of goals, not necessarily playing 90 minutes at this stage,” Heckingbottom explained, revealing details of a conversation he had with Brewster earlier this summer. “The minutes will increase as we go along, that will take care of itself.
“It will be a big ask, when you look at the intensity of our schedule. But, that’s what we want from him - intensity. We could play him in every single game until he breaks, which would happen. But clearly we’re not going to do that.”
Brewster ensured a slow start to his career in South Yorkshire, waiting 31 matches before opening his account during an EFL Cup win over Carlisle. On reflection, it is not difficult to see why the 22-year-old struggled. Parachuted into a struggling squad - United would later be relegated from the Premier League - Brewster’s potential dwarfed his experience.
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Hide AdBut once he settled into his new surroundings, and the atmosphere behind the scenes at Bramall Lane became a little more sedate, Brewster began to show exactly why Heckingbottom’s predecessor Chris Wilder, who had always insisted he was one for the future rather than there here and now, invested so heavily in his services. By the time Brewster succumbed to the issue which would end his campaign, he had been on target three times in seven outings. In the four when he drew a black, Brewster still posed a constant threat.
Events since United reported back for duty following their defeat by Nottingham Forest in May’s play-off semi-finals suggest neither his confidence nor his finishing have been affected by spending five months on the sidelines. Crucially, the procedure Brewster underwent after pulling-up during January’s victory over Peterborough does not appear to have diminished his explosive power either.
“We left him out of training towards the end of the week,” Heckingbottom continued. “That is because of where his body is at. Then we brought him in for 15 minutes (at Scunthorpe) and he’ll get more on Tuesday.”
Despite his reputation for plain and straight speaking, Heckingbottom isn’t averse to manipulating the news agenda. Particularly if he feels it might benefit his side. Chris Basham, one of several key performers who succumbed to injury last term, spent the best part of eight weeks being only “two away” from a return. A claim that Billy Sharp had been prescribed sugar injections to accelerate his recovery from a calf complaint was disputed by the United captain. Sharp, it seemed, had not been kept in the loop.
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Hide AdSome of the commentary on Brewster’s progress has been equally opaque. Clearly, he is still being handled with extreme care. But one suspects, given that he has featured in all three of United’s games so far and could be involved at Field Mill, that he is much further down the road than journalists were led to believe during a media briefing at the Randox Health Academy last month.
Although United are known to be keen on bolstering their attacking options before the end of the transfer window, Brewster is an integral part of the plan they have devised to try and achieve promotion. Whether Heckingbottom elects to deploy a front two or operate with a lone striker - something which would enable him to squeeze more forward-thinking options into his midfield - Brewster now possesses both the self-belief and the platform to showcase the attributes which prompted Jurgen Klopp to insert a buy back clause into the deal which took him to United.
Liverpool’s success under the German meant that was never likely to be triggered. But its existence confirmed they thought Brewster would eventually blossom into a superb professional.
United’s display against Scunthorpe reflected the mix-and-match nature of the starting eleven Heckingbottom selected, which explained why his philosophical take on the final scoreline.
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Hide AdTrailing 3-0 at the break, United’s manager acknowledged all of the goals his team had conceded were preventable. But they responded through Brewster and Iliman Ndiaye. Brewster was close to snatching an equaliser late on, but saw his shot from the edge of the box fly just wide.
“It’s a reminder of where we have to be, if we want to be successful in the season,” Heckingbottom reflected afterwards. “That is, if you’re not 100 percent at it then you come unstuck. It’s a reminder of where we need to be and what we want to be about.”