“See what their plans are” – Could striker return to Sheffield United next season? | OneFootball

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

The Chilean international signed on a short-term loan for the Blades from La Liga outfit Villarreal and has since scored six goals in 12 Premier League games, chipping in with an assist also.

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

Nevertheless, the former Blackburn Rovers star has not completely dismissed a potential return to Bramall Lane next season.

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

“Hopefully I’ll 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 enjoy myself again. I’ve been really 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)

Could Ben Brereton Diaz return to Sheffield United?

Villarreal signed Brereton Diaz on a free transfer after his deal at Blackburn came to an end last summer. But, despite scoring 38 goals in 89 matches in all competitions in his final two seasons with Rovers, he could not replicate said impact at Villarreal in his 20 appearances for the Yellow Submarine.

He has hit the ground running with the Blades and the player has publicly stated on more than one occasion that he has loved his time at the club. If the Chilean forward returns to the Spanish club in the summer and they do not have a pathway for him to gain first team minutes on a regular basis then it isn’t that far-fetched that he could return to Sheffield United in the summer.

Brereton Diaz has undoubtedly shown flashes of brilliance throughout his dozen Premier League appearances this season. So perhaps he will have some top-flight suitors in the summer. That being said he has also shown moments of undecisiveness in front of goal which could be a put-off point for teams.

Another potential put-off could be that Brereton Diaz has hit and miss periods throughout his career, essentially meaning that he clearly needs the right environment to perform in and only then you can get the best out of him.

Sheffield United’s attacking depth is a worry

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

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

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

20-year-old Jebbison has not kicked a ball in a competitive capacity for the first team since May 4th last year because of a health scare back in pre-season.

Brewster has made just 29 appearances in all competitions in the last two seasons, with the 25-year-old starting only nine of those, highlighting concerns over his ability to actually keep healthy.

Additionally 20-year-old Osula has started just nine league games in the past two campaigns.

To conclude, Sheffield United’s forwards have a combination of having bad injury records and inexperience, so if a player like Ben Brereton Diaz becomes available they may want to invest in him on a permanent basis.