Sheffield United: Why former striker believes Oli McBurnie's critics are missing an important point

After all, despite scoring plenty of goals during his own playing career, he experienced a couple of dry spells himself.

But when the former Sheffield United and Gillingham centre-forward watches Oli McBurnie in action, having studied his demeanour and body language, Asaba doesn’t see someone suffering a crisis of confidence. Instead, after also analysing the game-plan Paul Heckingbottom’s side is employing, he has reached the conclusion McBurnie is at peace with himself. Despite finding the back of the net only once all season and eight times in total since joining United.

“To me, Oli looks as if he’s doing everything that’s being asked of him,” Asaba told The Star earlier this week. “He isn’t coming across as someone, with the way he’s carrying himself and going about his work, who is struggling with things at the moment.

“I know people might think otherwise. And I understand why. But the more I see of Oli, the more I dig into what he’s doing and bringing to the group, the more I respect him. Even when he gets a bit of stick.”

Asaba is referring to the fact McBurnie, who enters Saturday’s fixture at Stoke City on the back of an 18 match barren run, was booed by a small section of United’s supporters during their win over Barnsley earlier this month. Heckingbottom dealt with the matter skillfully afterwards - choosing to focus on the delightful piece of improvisation which created the opening for Morgan Gibbs-White to claim his side’s second of the contest rather than the murmurings of discontent when McBurnie was introduced.

“It was brilliant from Oli. Simply brilliant. It shows what he’s all about.”

Developing that theme, Asaba is convinced the fact some United followers remain unconvinced by McBurnie stems from the confusion surrounding his exact role at Bramall Lane. Particularly when he compares the Scotland international’s performances to his own towards the end of a difficult period at Reading.

“When you’re not going well, you have a tension about you,” Asaba explained. “I know I did down there when things started to go wrong. The last thing on my mind was actually putting the ball in the back of the net. I’d just make short passes, keep everything safe, because I didn’t want people getting at me. Because, no matter what anyone might think, you do hear it.”

“I was the record signing down there,” Asaba continued, drawing comparisons between his own situation following an £800,000 move from Brentford and the one McBurnie has found himself in at United. “So when things went wrong, because the team wasn’t good enough, I was always going to be the scapegoat. That’s the way it works. The thing is, my game was all about goals. If I wasn’t getting them I was nothing. Whereas Oli, for me, he was brought in to knit everything together and link it all up.”

Asaba netted 23 times in 63 league appearances for United after completing a £92,500 move from Gillingham in March 2001; leaving for City three seasons later before eventually returning having been released by Millwall. McBurnie cost £20m when, having led United into the Premier League three years ago, Heckingbottom’s predecessor Chris Wilder calculated his performances for Swansea City would add something to the group.

“Remember what we were going into at the time,” Asaba said. “It was the Premier League when Chris knew we wouldn’t be beating everything three or four nil. He also knew we needed someone to hold the ball up and give the rest of the lads a breather in games. And you have to say, that’s exactly what Oli did.”

MORE: Asaba on United, Stoke and his painful return to The Lane

United went on to finish ninth in the top-flight, with McBurnie on target against the likes of Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, before being relegated following a calamitous campaign 12 months later.

“If when Oli came in, people were claiming: ‘We’ve paid £20m for someone who will get us 20 goals’ then fair play, it’s not worked. Except I don’t actually think that was what he was brought here to do. There was a great goal the lads scored recently, when they strung together 27 or so passes. Oli had about four touches. That tells you he’s not hiding.”

Fifth in the table with eight matches remaining, United travel to Staffordshire hoping to secure an immediate return to the highest level of English football. If captain Billy Sharp fails to recover from the hamstring injury he sustained during the meeting with Poya Asbaghi’s men, then McBurnie will almost certainly join new signing Filip Uremovic in the starting eleven.

“There’s a reason why we boo away players,” Asaba said. “It’s because it doesn’t help them. If it did, then we’d applaud the opposition. So I don’t see what someone is trying to achieve by booing one of their own. People talk about the money footballers get. But when you’re out on the pitch, you don’t think about that. You’re just a human being who knows you’re coming under pressure. I know because it’s happened to me.”

Asaba credits Heckingbottom and United’s coaching staff for establishing an environment which seemingly allows McBurnie to be impervious to outside criticism.

“Clubs have roles to play when it comes to getting the best out of a player too,” he reminded. “You can’t bring someone in who scores for fun with his head and then not give them a cross. In that situation, a player has every right to go to the boss and say ‘You’re not helping me.’

“But if you know what your responsibilities are, what you’re expected to do and you’re doing it, it puts you in a happy place. Oli will want to get a few (goals), of course he will.

“Equally, though, he seems to have been told exactly what is expected of him and is getting the praise from the gaffer and the rest of the boys for doing that.”