Sheffield United and Burnley will look at Fulham success with envy | OneFootball

Burnley and Sheffield United must be envious of Sander Berge's Fulham exploits

Fulham have emerged as one of this season's surprise packages in the Premier League, three seasons on from their most recent promotion out of the Championship, and sit just four points below the top-four following Saturday's 2-2 draw at Liverpool.

The Cottagers will be somewhat disappointed that they twice led the Reds, who were reduced to 10 men when Andy Robertson was sent off in the 17th minute, but came away with just one point rather than all three.

However, Saturday's draw means that Marco Silva's men have avoided defeat in consecutive games against Premier League title contenders, as they also drew with Arsenal on Sunday 8th December.

One of the west London side's most important players this term so far has been midfielder Sander Berge, who was signed from Burnley for a fee of £25m last summer, after the Clarets were relegated from the top-flight.

Burnley and Sheffield United will be envious of Berge's Fulham form

Berge only spent one campaign with the Clarets, after joining from Sheffield United ahead of the 2023/24 season, and the Lancashire outfit had hoped that his services could help them survive in the top-flight, after they had won the Championship title.

However, under the stewardship of former boss Vincent Kompany, the Turf Moor side faced immediate relegation back to the second tier as they landed 19th place, while ironically, only his former club fared worse as they finished bottom of the pile.

The Norway international also endured relegation from the Premier League during his Blades days, following a torrid 2020/21 campaign, and his best days in South Yorkshire certainly arrived in the Championship.

But right now, Berge is showing just how good he can be in the top-flight, when surrounded by a more gifted squad than that of the Clarets or Blades groups he was a part of.

The 26-year-old plays a key role towards Fulham's ball retention when his side are in possession, and boasts an impressive pass accuracy of 90.1% in the Premier League, as per FotMob.

He is also vital for the Cottagers when out of possession too, as demonstrated by the fact that he has won 61.5% of tackles he has attempted, as well as winning 57.7% of duels, according to FotMob.

Both the Blades and the Clarets will look at these exploits with envy, as Berge was unable to help them stave off the threat of relegation in recent years, yet he is currently proving his class while plying his trade for a Fulham side who could be in contention for a European spot come the end of the campaign.

Blades supporters will have better memories of Berge than Burnley fans

While the Norwegian suffered relegation from the Premier League with both the Clarets and the Blades, it is the Bramall Lane faithful who will have better memories of the midfielder.

He only spent one campaign in Lancashire, and was unable to help Burnley survive in the top-flight, while he spent three-and-a-half seasons in South Yorkshire.

Berge did endure relegation with the Blades following a woeful 2020/21 season, but he did also arrive at Bramall Lane mid-way through the 2019/20 campaign, and helped Chris Wilder and co to an unlikely ninth-place finish in the Premier League.

He subsequently played his part as the Blades won automatic promotion alongside the Clarets in 2023, after scoring six goals and creating five assists in 37 Championship outings.

However, the Bramall Lane side will still be just as envious of his successful Fulham exploits as the Clarets, as he is performing in the Premier League like never before.