Bristol City surely hold key advantage in Birmingham City, Sunderland transfer race: View | OneFootball

Scott Twine is said to be wanted man this summer, with both Sunderland and Birmingham City rumoured to be interested in making a move for the playmaker, according to The Sun.

The 24-year-old has been deemed surplus to requirements at current club Burnley in recent months, having spent the last season on loan at Hull City and Bristol City.

It was the latter of the two where the former MK Dons produced some of the football we had gotten to know during his early career; as he netted twice in his ten games for the Robins, and looked to be enjoying his football once again.

One major part of him playing with a smile on his face again will be the management of Liam Manning at Ashton Gate, with the pair reunited three years after their prolific season at Stadium:MK, which saw them both rise to prominence as stars of the future.

Manning’s presence will surely have a massive sway in Twine’s decision-making for the summer ahead, with the young boss proving he can make the most of the midfielder’s qualities when given the opportunity to do so.

Scott Twine earns Burnley move after outstanding Milton Keynes Dons displays

Twine had been making a name for himself long before his time at MK Dons; with the 2020/21 season seeing him rack up 22 goal contributions in a campaign split between Swindon Town and Newport County.

The promising young talent caught the eye with a number of long-range strikes, as well as thriving from dead-ball situations, with his deadly accuracy from free-kicks a devastating weapon to possess.

As parent-club Swindon suffered relegation, MK pounced to make him theirs in the summer of 2021, as he went on to become one of the Football League’s most promising young stars, with Manning getting the most out of the plentiful talents at his disposal.

The young manager’s emphasis on a ball-playing style, coupled with the role given to Twine where he can float behind the strikers, brought the best out of the player and the team, as they narrowly missed out on automatic promotion to the Championship, with stars aplenty in their ranks.

No one shone more than their magical number nine that year, as he rounded off a sensational season with a four-goal haul against Plymouth Argyle; which ultimately proved to be his final farewell before making the move to Turf Moor.

With Burnley looking to take the Championship by storm under new boss Vincent Kompany, the signing of Twine looked to be a perfect match for an attack-focused Clarets side, although things didn’t work out quite the way both player and club would have planned.

Injuries plagued the young supremo during his first year in Lancashire, with weeks on the sidelines turning into months, as his big break turned into a disaster, with just five league starts all season.

Even in the following campaign, a loan deal to Hull City looked to be the perfect springboard for him to resurrect his career, although he never quite found his fit at the MKM Stadium, as Liam Rosenior’s side failed to find consistency in the opening stages of the season.

Twine needed some intervention to get his career back on track, and that came in the shape of a familiar face, with Manning leaping at the chance to be reunited with his main attacking threat two seasons after their year in the sun.

Bristol City move reignites Scott Twine's career

As soon as he got to Ashton Gate Twine looked like a different man, with the shackles of the previous 18 months released and regular game time under his belt, and the Robins felt the reward of that as a result.

Whether he was linking up play, whipping in dangerous deliveries, or raising the tempo with his infectious energy and drive, the playmaker was back to his usual self once he pulled a red shirt on, and looked reinvigorated after coming out the other side of his struggles.

After taking just 25 minutes to score on his debut for City, the budding star once again had to deal with injury issues until he regained his place in the side around the Easter period, before treating fans to a trademark free kick in the penultimate game of the season against Rotherham United.

Manning has made it no secret that he would love to get his star man back on a permanent basis, stating as much after that display against the Millers.

He said: “I’d love to work with him. I think he fits the club and profile of player we’ve got but there are so many challenges that go into it.

“For me, he’s been great; I think he’s got another level he can go to, I think he’s starting to show that and he fits what we’re trying to do.”

It remains to be seen where Twine decides his future lies this summer, but it would be remiss of him to dismiss linking up with Manning once again, with the pair’s synergy getting plenty of results on the field, and helping him leave the toughest part of his career firmly in the rear-view mirror.