Sheffield United: Why Anel Ahmedhodzic received no special favours before impressive debut
The experience Anel Ahmedhodzic accumulated before joining Sheffield United persuaded coaching staff not to offer him any special advice before awarding the Bosnia and Herzegovina international his debut for the club against Millwall.
After being forced to miss the opening match of the new season through suspension, Ahmedhodzic was named in the starting eleven which beat Gary Rowett’s side thanks to first-half goals from Iliman Ndiaye and Sander Berge.
Together with John Egan and fellow new signing Ciaran Clark, the 23-year-old coped well with the aerial threat posed by the visitors from London. Crucially, given the importance United place on launching attacks from deep lying positions, Ahmedhodzic also quickly grasped his offensive responsibilities too.
After Ndiaye had broken the deadlock, the former Malmo defender went close to scoring himself, producing a deft touch to round Charlie Cresswell only to fire past Bartosz Bialkowski’s far post.
“We didn’t make a big deal of it,” Heckingbottom replied, after being asked if he had spoken to Ahmedhodzic the game. “We had a bit of a word in the week but nothing major.
“He’s played Champions League football before coming here. He plays for his country. He knows what he’s doing.
“This is a big club with a big crowd in a big league, one of the toughest there is for me. But Anel knows what’s required. It’s not like he’s not been in these situations before.”
“I thought all of the back three were excellent out there,” Heckingbottom added. “There was a good balance and they’ll get better the more they work with each other as well.”