Why Steve Clarke is backing Oli McBurnie to start hitting the net for Sheffield United and Scotland

McBurnie has not scored for either United or his national team in 18 games of open play, a run stretching back to his goal against Chelsea in July.

But he did step up and convert his penalty in a crunch shoot-out in Serbia last week, to help seal Scotland's place at next summer's European Championships.

After drawing another blank against Slovakia on Sunday evening, McBurnie was again targeted with abuse on social media by Scottish supporters.

But Clarke defended the 24-year-old, insisting: "The big man just has to keep believing.

“He just needs to keep working as hard as he did in this game and the goals will come.

“I can’t speak about criticism he’s getting on social media, but I can tell you he’s got the support of everyone in the camp.

“And he knows that. Listen, a goal would change things for any forward who is on a run of matches without goals.

"If he could get one sooner rather than later that would be better for him.

“But he’s got plenty of support from inside the camp.

“The squad is tight-knit - you don’t go on the run we were on without that - and everyone is together. We win together and we lose together and unfortunately [Sunday evening] was a loss.”

McBurnie, who became United's record signing at the time when he arrived for £20m from Swansea City, finished his first season in red and white as the Blades' joint-top scorer.

His campaign featured crucial goals against Manchester United, Brighton and Hove Albion and this weekend's opponents West Ham United, as Chris Wilder's men defied pre-season predictions of doom to finish ninth in the Premier League.

But McBurnie is yet to find the net in nine Premier League games so far, with Wilder's men struggling in the relegation zone with one point from their eight games to date.

He could win his latest Scotland cap on Wednesday evening, when Scotland face Israel.

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