Sheffield United striker Oli McBurnie makes promising fitness admission after returning to Blades side

McBurnie was plagued by injury and illness issues last season, contracting Covid-19 and then tonsillitis before seeing his campaign prematurely curtailed by a broken foot that kept him out of the Blades' play-off campaign.

After playing 60 minutes for the U23s, scoring against Reading, McBurnie was named in the matchday squad for Sunday's trip to Middlesbrough and came off the bench with nine minutes of normal time remaining of the 2-2 draw at the Riverside.

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"It was a really good feeling," McBurnie admitted, ahead of tomorrow night's clash with Sunderland at Bramall Lane.

"It's been so long and I didn't really know what to do in the dressing room before the game because it had been so long.

"It is tough mentally when you're injured, you try to support the boys but it's good to be back involved."

McBurnie joked that he must have "done something in a past life" to receive such bad fitness luck, but is hoping to return better than ever when he approaches full fitness.

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"I felt fit and healthy and it was frustrating to be injured last season," the Scottish international added.

"The timing wasn't great but it's one of those things in football, there's nothing you can do. Being injured is a new thing for me but touch wood I'm hopefully past it and I'm ready to crack on.

"I feel the best I've felt for a long time. I've put on quite a bit of weight, I feel fit and strong and as fit as I can remember.

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"The staff have been really on me, the gaffer's been on me to get to Premier League levels of athleticism with my numbers and he's been on top of me with that and I'm definitely getting there.

"I'm not as much of a numbers guy as the scientists but when you see it on paper it's hard to argue, it's something you can work towards and I've felt good. It's something that's never going to hurt me, being fit and strong, so it's something to aim for.

"With the squad, even with the boys out injured, the squad's ridiculous in terms of depth and size and strength. We're up there with the squad and that's where we want to be in terms of the positions."

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