Sheffield United told promotion secret as free-spirit favourite reflects on "perfect" Bramall Lane spell

His story of being rescued from the footballing scrapheap may have been a little exaggerated by the passage of time but there can be little debate that David McGoldrick was one of the most inspired signings in Sheffield United’s recent history. A free transfer arrival after his release from Ipswich Town, the forward captured the hearts of the Bramall Lane crowd in his four years as a Blade.

He scored on his debut in a friendly against Inter Milan and didn’t look back, helping the Blades win promotion in his first season and then attack the Premier League in his second. Even after his departure in 2022 he kept a close eye on his former club’s fortunes, returning as a fan for November’s Steel City derby win over rivals Wednesday, and that love is reciprocated from a fanbase who used to chant his name - even during long goal droughts.

He was a unique type of player whose technical ability left many wondering how he hadn’t played at Premier League level for most of his career. But for injuries and some inconsistent finishing at times, he probably would have. Now 37, McGoldrick is still producing magic for his boyhood club Notts County in League Two as they battle to hold onto their play-off place, while his former employers look to get back into the top flight.

“You’ve got to trust yourself and play your normal game,” said McGoldrick of County’s promotion bid, with advice that could easily be transferred to United’s players. “Pressure is for tyres. It’s just a game of football. Give it your all and be free-spirited.”

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That phrase perhaps perfectly sums up McGoldrick’s time in a United shirt, which saw him given the freedom to roam around the pitch and make things happen in a superb partnership with Billy Sharp - also looking for another promotion with Doncaster Rovers, who are a place above McGoldrick’s Magpies in the League Two table. Sharp turned 39 last month, the pair recently reuniting at Bramall Lane for som e media work.

“I enjoyed playing in the Premier League,” McGoldrick added, in an interview with The Sun. “I was at the perfect club at the perfect time. I wasn’t a maverick, I was a link player, but was given the freedom to express myself. I might have gone 25 games without scoring [in the top-flight] but the input I was giving to the team and the manager was important.

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“The manager, Chris Wilder, never dropped me while the fans took to me and kept me going during the time I wasn't scoring. I was playing some of the best football I’d ever played and that was because the team and club looked after me. They let me be a free spirit to go out and enjoy myself.”

That freedom is something McGoldrick doesn’t see these days in the top-flight, which has resulted in him turning off Premier League games. “When you watch football in the Premier League or other top divisions, it’s so robotic,” he added.

“In my day there was Ronaldinho, Paul Gascoigne and those kinds of players who were great to watch. I don’t watch as much football as I used to, not because I don’t love it but because some of the top games are not enjoyable to watch anymore because there are no mavericks.”