Sheffield United: The moment Oli McBurnie proved how desperate he is to impress
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After a gruelling early morning session, at the club’s temporary base near Lisbon, Paul Heckingbottom’s squad were granted permission to visit the beach. After enjoying a quick espresso and taking a dip in the sea, United’s assistant manager turned to share a joke with his fellow Rangers fan only to discover McBurnie had already returned to the team hotel.
“We went down there for a couple of hours,” McCall told The Star, ahead of tomorrow’s Carabao Cup tie at West Bromwich Albion. “It was busy and we didn’t have much time off to be fair. So one day, just for a couple of hours, everyone went down to the beach for a bit of a swim and a few coffees.
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Hide Ad“Suddenly I noticed that Oli was no longer there. He’s gone back to the gym with Jack (O’Connell) and was beasting the workout machines in there.”
Despite acknowledging McBurnie has struggled for long periods of his career with United, since leaving Swansea City three years ago, McCall remains convinced the striker will eventually remind why Heckingbottom’s predecessor Chris Wilder paid £20m to acquire his services after winning promotion to the Premier League. It spoke volumes about his admiration for McBurnie that, even though he is unlikely to feature at The Hawthorns, McCall devoted a large part of his pre-match interview towards reminding that many of the fitness issues the Scotland international has suffered came about because: “Oli was ready to sacrifice himself for the rest of the lads.”
McCall’s revelation about McBurnie’s determination to “enjoy a consistent run” after an injury plagued campaign last term came in response to a question about how United are keeping him and others on their casualty list engaged.
Like O’Connell and McBurnie, defender Jayden Bogle travelled to Europe with the rest of Heckingbottom’s squad ahead of their first pre-season friendly.
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Hide Ad“It would have been easy to leave them at home, because we’ve got great specialists here,” McCall explained. “But we took them with us because they feel part of it that way, which they are and which is key.”
Out of action for the past 23 months, no date has been set for O’Connell’s return. McBurnie and Tommy Doyle, signed on loan from Manchester City, are both close to completing their rehabilitation programmes. But Bogle, previously of Derby County, is still thought to be around two months away despite taking part in some light, non-contact workouts at the Randox Health Academy of late.
“Jayden, for me, has shown great mental strength,” McCall said. “He’s a cracking lad to have about the place, he’s always got a smile on his face and he’s always there supporting the rest of the lads.
“Before every single game, he’s there in the dressing room encouraging them and making sure they’ve got what they need to go out there and perform.”