‘See what their plans are’ – Could striker return to Sheffield United next season?

Since his arrival in the January transfer window, Ben Brereton Diaz has made a huge impact at Sheffield United.

The Chile international signed for the Blades on a short-term loan from La Liga side Villarreal and has since scored six goals in 12 Premier League games, while also contributing one assist.

In an ideal world, Sheffield United would like to keep hold of Brereton Diaz beyond the summer, however, the club’s relegation back to the Championship has made the task that much more difficult.

However, the former Blackburn Rovers star has not completely ruled out a potential return to Bramall Lane next season.

“Sheffield United are an amazing club and for me they have high hopes of coming back next season,” he told The Star.

“I hope to go to the Copa America and then go back to Villarreal and see what their plans are. I came to Sheffield United because I wanted to play football and have fun again. I was very grateful for the opportunity.”

SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND – MAY 04: Ben Brereton Diaz of Sheffield United runs with the ball during the Premier League match between Sheffield United and Nottingham Forest at Bramall Lane on May 04, 2024 in Sheffield, England. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)

Villarreal signed Brereton Diaz on a free transfer after his contract at Blackburn expired last summer. But despite scoring 38 goals in 89 games in all competitions over the last two seasons with Rovers, he could not replicate that impact at Villarreal in his 20 appearances for the Yellow Submarine.

He hit the ground running with the Blades and the player has publicly stated on several occasions that he loved his time at the club. If the Chilean striker returns to the Spanish club in the summer and they don’t have a way to earn first-team minutes on a regular basis, then it’s not that far-fetched that he could return to Sheffield United in the summer.

Brereton Diaz has undoubtedly shown flashes of brilliance throughout his ten Premier League appearances this season. So maybe he’ll have some top suitors in the summer. That said, he has also shown moments of indecisiveness in front of goal that could be a sticking point for teams.

Another potential letdown could be the fact that Brereton Diaz has hit and miss periods throughout his career, which basically means that he clearly needs the right environment to perform in, and only then can you get the most out of it. good of him.

Even though Sheffield United renew the contracts of Oli McBurnie and Daniel Jebbison, Chris Wilder’s attacking options all have question marks over them ahead of the 2024/25 Championship campaign.

The Blades will have first team attacking depth of: McBurnie, Jebbison, Rhian Brewster and Will Osula.

Although McBurnie has scored 19 goals in the last two league campaigns, including six in the Premier League, he has only started 40 of a possible 82 league games due to countless injury problems.

Jebbison, 20, has not kicked a ball in a competitive capacity for the first team since May 4 last year due to a pre-season health issue.

Brewster has made just 29 appearances in all competitions over the past two seasons, with the 25-year-old starting just nine of those, highlighting concerns about his ability to stay effectively healthy.

Furthermore, Osula, 20, has started just nine league games in the last two campaigns.

Bottom line, Sheffield United’s forwards have a combination of poor injury records and inexperience, so if a player like Ben Brereton Diaz becomes available, they might want to invest in him permanently.