Sheffield United: Jesurun Rak-Sakyi dubbed a "maverick" but has one issue that needs fixing | OneFootball

We asked our Sheffield United fan pundit about Jesurun Rak-Sakyi's start to life at the club

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Jesurun Rak-Sakyi has been labelled a maverick after his inconsistent start to life at Sheffield United following his loan move from Crystal Palace.

The 22-year-old joined the Blades in August on a season-long loan, and while the Bramall Lane faithful have seen some glimpses of his obvious talent, it hasn't been plain sailing for the winger just yet.

He's been in and out of Chris Wilder's starting XI, struggling to nail down a guaranteed spot in the starting team, and he'll feel that there's more to come in the upcoming months as he really looks to make a mark at Championship level.

Sheffield United beat a number of teams to his signature, with it reported that Championship rivals Hull City and Leeds United were keen on a move.

It's by no means been a bad start at the Blades for Rak-Sakyi, and if he can start performing on a more consistent basis, Wilder will have a gem on their hands who could be a huge boost to their promotion chances.

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We asked our Sheffield United fan pundit, Jimmy - Blades Ramble, to describe Rak-Sakyi's early days at Sheffield United in one word, and it's clear that he feels the Palace youngster has more to give.

Speaking to Football League World, Jimmy said: “One word to describe Jesurun Rak-Sakyi is a maverick. I think he’s got the potential to be a game-changer.

“We’ve seen it actually, he took the game against Luton by the scruff of the neck, he scored two goals and that was the best he’s played for us by a country mile.

“He’s also had games where he’s been largely anonymous, so he’s been quite inconsistent thus far.

"You expect that from a young player and a new player in your side. We’ve got a lot of new players in the team, but he’s a maverick.

"I don’t mean to tar him, but he’s your typical forward-thinking player. He doesn’t often track back and doesn’t do a lot of the defensive work and help out.

"He’s paired very well with Alfie Glichrist, who’s a solid, no-nonsense defender. If we had someone like Femi Seriki behind him who also likes to get forward, we’d be quite exposed down the right-hand side.”

Jesurun Rak-Sayki will improve for Sheffield United as the season goes on

It must be remembered that Rak-Sakyi played just eight games of senior football for Palace last season, starting just two, which came in the EFL Cup, and he missed a large chunk of the season with a hamstring injury.

This means that he's still working his way back to full fitness, and that's perhaps why he's been inconsistent, but as the season goes on, you'd expect him to show some of the form he displayed on loan at Charlton Athletic during the 2022/23 campaign.

Last season was a difficult one for Rak-Sakyi as he was unable to kick on from his impressive League One loan from the year before, and the Blades faithful need to have patience with him.

He showed in the game against Luton Town that he can be a quality player at this level, and as he regains full fitness in the coming weeks and gets up to speed in the Championship, Sheffield United will be expecting that on a more regular basis.

Signing the 22-year-old on loan in the summer was a coup for Wilder's side, and Rak-Sakyi will only get better as the season progresses.