Ipswich Town's loss turned out to be a huge plus for Sheffield United: View | OneFootball

Off the back of a successful start to the 2012/13 League One campaign at Coventry City, David McGoldrick earned himself a move back to the Championship.

For the Sky Blues that season, the striker had scored 16 goals in 22 league appearances, prompting Ipswich Town in the division above to take over his loan deal that winter.

Four league goals in 13 matches followed at Portman Road, and that summer, the Tractor Boys turned his stay at the club into a permanent one.

McGoldrick's Ipswich Town career

David McGoldrick would go on to make 159 appearances during his time at Portman Road, scoring 45 goals and registering 25 assists.

The striker was never truly prolific, though, with his best season coming in 2013/14, scoring 14 league goals and laying on six for his teammates.

Those performances that season nearly brought about a move to Leicester City, with the Foxes reportedly having been willing to pay £8 million for the forward that summer.

McGoldrick stayed, and would eventually go on to leave the club on a free transfer in the summer of 2018.

Sheffield United sign David McGoldrick

McGoldrick had no problem finding a new club, though, linking up with Sheffield United on a free transfer that summer.

Ipswich Town's loss certainly turned out to be the Blades' gain, too, with McGoldrick going on to help fire the club to promotion that season.

During the campaign, for example, McGoldrick was back at his very best, scoring 15 league goals in the Championship - his highest ever tally in the second tier.

On top of that, the striker also chipped in with four assists.

Most importantly, perhaps, McGoldrick featured 45 times and was available for selection in every single match that campaign.

Sheffield United would go on to finish second in the division that season, earning themselves a return to the Premier League for the first time since 2006/07.

McGoldrick in the Premier League

The goals, unfortunately, did not follow McGoldrick up to the Premier League, with the forward netting just twice in 28 top-flight appearances in 2019/20.

However, as seen by his 28 appearances, he still often featured for Chris Wilder's side, who went on to have a very successful first season back at English football's top table.

Not only did the Blades avoid the drop, but they battled for European qualification for most of the campaign. Ultimately, they fell short, but McGoldrick and his teammates' 9th placed finish is certainly nothing to be sniffed at.

It is worth noting that although the Blades finished ninth that season, their top Premier League scorers in Oli McBrunie and Lys Mousset had just six goals to their name.

As fate would have it, the next season, McGoldrick scored a more respectable eight league goals, but the Blades were relegated from the top-flight, finishing rock bottom of the division in 20th place.

McGoldrick remained despite the drop, but injuries started to catch up with him, and in the summer of 2022, he departed the club for pastures new.

All in all, though, McGoldrick's time at the club will be looked back upon fondly, and it certainly proved a shrewd bit of business by the Blades bringing him in.

Costing them nothing, McGoldrick went on to play an important role in firing the Blades back to the Premier League for the first time in well over a decade, and also contributed to that exciting first season back up there.

Relegation eventually caught up with the Blades, McGoldrick could not prevent that, but when it comes to the striker, Ipswich Town's loss was certainly Sheffield United's gain back in the summer of 2018.