Why Sheffield United star is ‘excited’ after successful operation after 'kicking ball' admission

Oli McBurnie has admitted he is “excited to be able to kick a football again” after going under the knife to correct a hernia issue that has plagued him for some time.

The Sheffield United striker was booked in for surgery earlier this week, to coincide with a month-long break for the World Cup, with the hope of having him back available when the Championship season resumes on December 10. Those plans have been complicated by an ankle ligament issue which kept the Scottish international striker out of a 1-0 victory at Cardiff City in United’s final game before the break, but he posted an update from his hospital bed earlier this week saying “the surgery went well” and that “the road to recovery starts now”.

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McBurnie recently admitted that the hernia caused him problems with kicking, sprinting and jumping – all key components of his game – but to his credit he played through the pain barrier and, with nine goals in his last 14 games, more than played his part in helping Paul Heckingbottom’s side to second in the Championship table going into the much-needed break.

Boss Heckingbottom recently played down any suggestions that McBurnie will return a better player once the hernia issue is cleared up – comments which didn’t quite tally up with the striker’s assertion that he “couldn’t kick the ball very well with my right foot or sprint as fast as normal”.

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And asked how he hopes to return after surgery, McBurnie admitted: “Hopefully very good. I feel in this league especially, apart from last year, I've always scored goals and felt comfortable. So if I can get to 80 per cent fitness, that would be good.

“I am excited, I'm looking forward to being fit and concentrating on football. And being able to kick a football properly again as well; that would be nice.”

McBurnie’s blistering form of late has seen him produce some of his best football since he became, at the time, United’s record signing when he arrived from Swansea back in 2019. The initial four-year contract he signed then is set to expire at the end of the present campaign, with the striker recently admitting that he would “love” to stay at Bramall Lane.

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