Sheffield United starlet could be heading for Bramall Lane exit with Derry City hopeful of tying up deal

Parkhouse scored 19 goals for Derry in his first full season in senior football in 2019, earning a place in the PFAI team of the year, but returned to United at the end of the League of Ireland season.

Parkhouse was named on the United bench for an EFL Cup tie against Hull in 2018, but is yet to make a senior appearance for the Blades.

“Obviously we would like to bring David Parkhouse to the club but we’ve been in this situation before,” Derry boss Declan Devine said.

“This time last year it fell through and until such agreements are made with David or his club, Sheffield United, then things can happen very quickly or a line could be drawn through it again very quickly.

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“Yes, we’ve spoken to David Parkhouse and got the ball rolling with Sheffield United to see if there’s anything they would be interested in doing. But with the Christmas break people are only coming back to work in the last day or two.

“It’s not a formality by any stretch. It’s well documented that my relationship with David has worked in the past and it’s certainly something we would like to do again.

“But there’s a lot of red tape we need to get through before that can happen. So it could happen quickly or it could be put to bed very quickly. That’s the way it is at the minute.”

Parkhouse endured a "fragmented" loan spell at Hartlepool, in the words of their manager Dave Challinor, because of a combination of international duty and personal issues.

“The boy certainly needs to get out and play," Devine added. "That’s the one thing where we’re all singing off the one hymn sheet.

“We certainly have spoken to David but there’s a lot of other circumstances in terms of what Sheffield United want and their hold on the player.

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“They’re looking at a boy who has a contract with an option of another year. There’s certainly been negotiations taking place but it’s one of those that until there’s something concrete there is absolutely nothing.

“We’ve been here before. We went after David Parkhouse in every single window. Obviously he spent the last year out on loan in England but there’s lots of things that need tidying up before we get to the stage where we can sit down and negotiate.”

After Saturday's Premier League defeat at Crystal Palace, boss Chris Wilder dropped a hint as to why more young players have not made breakthroughs into his first-team squad.

“We are category two when the rest of this division, and most of the one below, are category one. That’s a part of the club we are looking to develop," he said.

"We have to be really careful in terms of picking one or two (young players) out. I’m not killing the players, because they could come good.

“If we had progressed in the way most people probably expected, they’d be looking to get into a mid-table Championship team by now. But now we are in the Premier League, and there’s a world of a difference.”

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