Sheffield United: The Reda Khadra questions that must be answered to avoid loan being wasted

Perhaps that was the case with Paul Heckingbottom in midweek, the Sheffield United boss asked about loanee Reda Khadra and whether the game at Coventry, which his side had just lost late on, was possibly one for the German winger.

“Possibly,” Heckingbottom replied. “But he didn’t get on, did he?”

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Previously, when asked about Khadra, the Blades boss has replied tactfully. Even in the build-up to the trip to Coventry he admitted to having conversations with the Brighton loanee, leading many Unitedites to speculate whether he would be handed a rare start at the CBS Arena.

Instead, he was forced to watch from the sidelines as United, devoid of any real consistent creativity aside from the ever-industrious Iliman Ndiaye, toiled, hit a post through Oli McBurnie’s snapshot and then lost to a late penalty for their third defeat in four games.

James McAtee was an early introduction for the injured Rhys Norrington-Davies, indicating he may have leapfrogged Khadra in the pecking order after signs he was starting to adjust to life in senior football with an assist at Stoke and goal against Blackpool.

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But, one nice moment of skill when he nutmegged his defender and saw a cross cut out aside, he couldn’t hit the same heights at Coventry and was perhaps to even stay on the pitch himself until half-time, after a tackle on Fankaty Dabo that was either perfectly-timed or tantamount to GBH, depending on which side of the Coventry/Blades divide you sat.

Would Khadra have made a difference if he was introduced? Could Rhian Brewster? Or Billy Sharp, if given more than a couple of minutes? It’s all conjecture and hearsay. But what is surely beyond any debate is that United need more from Khadra. But how do they go about it?

A run of games in his natural position seems an obvious answer. But it was difficult to justify that when United were flying before the international break; when Khadra got a chance after it, away at Stoke, he was largely anonymous. After his winner at Swansea, he was next seen over a fortnight later as an emergency left wing-back; the next game, coming on at right-back after George Baldock’s injury. A six-minute cameo against Blackpool was his last appearance; hardly enough to shine but almost long enough to lose the game, after losing the ball in a poor area.

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So far, by any metric, the loan has not worked out, especially not following the fanfare that greeted Khadra’s arrival in the summer. The player that tore United apart last season for Blackburn has been seen in fleeting glimpses so far, but nowhere near enough; although the consensus seems to be amongst Blades that Khadra hasn’t received enough chances, there should be some sympathy for Heckingbottom and Co. as well in that the German has hardly nailed down a shirt in what we have seen so far.

Khadra’s pedigree suggests that there is still time to turn things around and be a big player for United this season. Does he need to be let off the leash; is there more he can do to force his way in? Could, given United’s injury crises elsewhere, the money be spent better elsewhere if a January return suits all parties?

At the minute, all we seem to have around Khadra are questions. Even from the manager…

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