Chris Wilder may have unlocked £23.5m Sheffield United weapon: View | OneFootball

Rhian Brewster has struggled for goals as a striker since joining the Blades, but looks to have found a new position.

Sheffield United have been extremely impressive in the opening nine matches of the 2024/25 Championship campaign.

The Blades are currently second in the table, level on points with Sunderland, and without their two-point deduction, they would be leading the way.

Still undefeated, Chris Wilder's side have been near-perfect defensively, conceding just three goals and keeping six clean sheets in a row.

But it is not just their strength at the back that has made them the stand-outs so far this season, with Sheffield United's attackers and midfielders providing the goals to help them to six wins in the second tier.

There may have been some fears heading into the campaign due to the manner of the Blades' relegation from the Premier League, but players have stepped up to the challenge of the Championship, and Wilder seems to have worked his magic on a forward who was struggling to live up to his £23.5 million transfer fee.

Rhian Brewster was brilliant against Luton Town

Despite signing as a striker from Liverpool in 2020, it has not been the easiest of rides for Rhian Brewster, and he has scored just five goals in 87 appearances for Sheffield United.

However, in the Blades' most recent fixture, Wilder decided to play the 24-year-old behind Kieffer Moore, allowing him to operate as an attacking midfielder. It's a position that may not come as naturally to Brewster, but he excelled.

In just 66 minutes, he created two chances and completed 80% of his passes, before providing the assist for Jesurun Rak-Sakyi's second goal to seal the victory at Bramall Lane for his team.

It was the first time that Brewster had started in the league since February, but he showed no signs of rustiness and was able to play a key role in keeping United's excellent start to 2024/25 going.

It will only give the former Swansea City loanee some much-needed confidence after failing to match the hype that came about following his move to Yorkshire four years ago, but supporters should not get ahead of themselves.

Brewster has to find consistency to win fans over

While it was important for Brewster to get that first good performance of the season under his belt, this can not just be a rare occurrence.

It can be said that the 24-year-old will never be that £20 million player that he was signed to be, however, it is also unfair to put that pressure on him, as he never chose the price tag that was paid in 2020.

The ex-Liverpool youngster had extremely high potential while in Merseyside, and while that may have dropped, there is no reason for Brewster to believe that the Championship is his ceiling.

If he can carry over his performance from the Luton win into more games, then Wilder may have unlocked a new star hidden within the shadows of Bramall Lane. A future away from the striker position could be on the cards, and if he continues to show himself as a capable playmaker, then the next few years could be very good for both Brewster and Sheffield United.