Sheffield United will continue to rotate their strikers - and this is why

Although David McGoldrick and Billy Sharp are the only two Sheffield United strikers to score a goal so far this season, Chris Wilder has explained why he expects to continue rotating his centre-forwards until the end of the season.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Despite already matching his tally for last term, McGoldrick enters Saturday’s visit to West Bromwich Albion having netted four times in 37 top-flight appearances since helping Wilder’s squad achieve promotion from the Championship 19 months ago.

Sharp has also hit the target on four occasions during the same period and, to underline the manager’s point, was omitted from the squad which faced West Ham last weekend with record signing Rhian Brewster and Oliver Burke preferred on the bench as Oli McBurnie partnered McGoldrick in attack.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

At first glance, McGoldrick and Sharp appear to have staked strong claims to become United’s first choice attacking partnership but Wilder, who acknowledges his club does not yet enjoy the financial resources to recruit a proven Premier League goalscorer, said: “We have to pick a team to try and win a game, depending on how we best think we can exploit the opposition.

“David has done well but he isn’t a prolific goalscorer, and that’s not a criticism. He’s doing much better now but, until we have one of those at our disposal, or someone in the squad becomes one which is their challenge, then we’ll continue mixing things up and rotating things around.”

With Wilder continuing to give McBurnie his backing despite missing a series of chances in recent weeks, Lys Mousset’s return to fitness has raised hopes at Bramall Lane that the firepower at the manager’s disposal is set to receive a much-needed boost. Despite concerns about his conditioning and focus off the pitch, coaching staff remain convinced Mousset has the potential to emerge as the consistent goalscorer United require to drag themselves out of trouble after taking only a point from their last nine outings.

Wilder’s decision to describe Brewster as “the future” for United following Sunday’s defeat by West Ham suggests he views the former Liverpool youngster and Mousset as the two marksmen most likely to prompt a chance of selection policy between now and May.

An important message: To help us maintain the high-quality reporting that you are used to from the football team at The Star, please consider taking out a subscription to our new discounted sports-only package. You'll find all the details at https://www.thestar.co.uk/subscriptions/sports. Your support is much appreciated.