Under-fire Watford man's loan cut short after Sheffield United message sparked fan fury

AFC Bournemouth have recalled Daniel Jebbison from an unsuccessful loan spell at Watford just days after he enraged fans following defeat against Sheffield United.

Jebbison sparked anger from Watford supporters in the aftermath of his side’s 2-1 defeat at Vicarage Road after commenting on a social media message of former teammate Andre Brooks, who won the game with a wonderful curling effort. “My brudda,” the on-loan Hornets man commented on an image of Brooks’ acrobatic celebration.

The 21-year-old then deleted all Watford-related content from his own Instagram page in a move that only intensified anger among fans of his temporary club. Well they are his temporary club no more, with parent club Bournemouth confirming his recall to the Vitality Stadium on Wednesday.

In a post on social media, the Cherries wrote: “Daniel Jebbison has been recalled from his loan stint with Watford. Welcome back, Jebbo!”

Jebbison recalled

How significant Jebbison’s social media activities were in the decision remains to be seen but Bournemouth have also been hit with terrible injury luck in his position. £40m summer arrival Evanilson underwent surgery on a fractured metatarsal earlier this week before second-choice striker Enes Unal tore his ACL in training.

Both are set for extended spells on the sidelines and while Bournemouth could look to sign a striker this month, they have decided to recall Jebbison. And the former Blade looks set to stay there for the season, having already played for the Cherries and Watford - FA Rules state players cannot play for more than two clubs in any one campaign.

Jebbison joined Bournemouth on a free transfer over the summer, following the expiration of his United contract, and played twice for the Cherries before securing a temporary move to Watford. The Hornets beat plenty of Championship competition to their man but things have not worked out.

The forward made 13 league appearances for his loan club but only three of them came from the start, with a total of 387 minutes yielding zero goals or assists. Jebbison returned to the forefront of United minds back in September when he was involved in a heated scuffle with Harry Souttar and several others during his side’s 1-0 defeat at Bramall Lane.

Cleverley on Jebbison

Jebbison hasn’t been able to fulfil his potential on loan at Watford and did little to endear himself to supporters with those recent social media posts. The England youth international missed a host of golden chances to open his account while at Vicarage Road but leaves with little to show for his efforts.

“The two clubs are in communication about [a recall],” Watford boss Tom Cleverley admitted on Wednesday. “I’ll probably have more information in a couple of days’ time, but the injury to Evanilson has made it more attractive to Bournemouth. It is a loan that hasn’t worked and we have to accept that.

“I spoke to Daniel this week and what has happened here shouldn’t define who he is as a player, and he shouldn’t be judged on the last six months. He hasn’t become a worse player overnight because this move hasn’t worked.”