Crewe Alexandra v Sheffield United: Blade McDonald hoping to attract Strachan’s attention

Sheffield United’s Kevin McDonald believes promotion back to the Championship could benefit his international career.
Kevin McDonaldKevin McDonald
Kevin McDonald

The former Dundee midfielder has chalked up 14 appearances for Scotland Under-21s but is yet to win a full cap.

After playing in the Premier League with Burnley, the 24-year-old hopes to get out of League One to try to catch the attention of new Scotland manager Gordon Strachan.

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“Everyone wants to play for their country,” said McDonald, ahead of Blades’ trip to Crewe tonight when they will look to close the gap on leaders Doncaster Rovers.

“I was fortunate enough to play a good number of times at Under-21 level and lower levels.

“I have got to put in improved performances and hopefully get promoted as well.

“The new manager has come in and will be looking around at different players, so it’s up to us to impress.

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“Whether I am playing in League One or the Championship, as long as I am performing I should be in there with a shout no matter what division I am in.

“Obviously, I need to perform better. The ideal situation would be to get promoted here and prove myself in the Championship again. Everyone wants a full cap, it would be amazing.”

A goalless draw with MK Dons left United in second place, three points behind leaders Rovers but with a game in hand.

The Dons, like so many teams, frustrated the Blades at Bramall Lane, but Danny Wilson’s side have an impressive away record with just two defeats in 18.

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“We are disappointed we didn’t get all three points,” McDonald said. “It was a good performance, especially in the second half. We pushed, but it (a goal) never came.

“It’s been like that all season at home, but we have to take the positives. The goals will come, we just need to be a bit more clinical.

“We are second with 10 games to go, an ideal position. If you had offered us this at the start of the season we would have been delighted to be here.

“Hopefully we can go on and get automatic promotion.

“Doncaster got a great result at Bournemouth at the weekend so it just shows how strong they are. It’s a good battle going on, but it’s a bit too close for my liking. Hopefully,- we will come out on top.”

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McDonald has been impressed with the impact of former Middlesbrough midfielder Barry Robson who arrived in January.

“Robbo is a good player with a lot of experience, he’s been playing at a good level for a number of years,” said McDonald.

“He has been a good addition to the squad, as you can see from his performances since he came in.

“It’s raised everyone’s game, he’s given us all a boost, which you can see it in our play.

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“He’s a big moaner on the pitch,” he joked, adding: “Seriously, he’s a big talker on the pitch and that extra experience helps.”

The Blades, who have secured six successive clean sheets, have suffered a blow with 17-year-old striker Diego De Girolamo suffering a knee injury that could see him miss the remainder of the season.

The Chesterfield-born youngster, who has recently made two substitute appearances for the first team, damaged his knee scoring for Italy Under-18s against Austria last week. He will have a scan next week to assess the damage.

“We are all gutted for him, especially with him being a young lad,” said Wilson.

Last six: Crewe LLWLLW, Sheffield United WWWDWD.

Last time: Crewe 1 Sheffield United 3; August 29, 2005; Championship.

Referee: O Langford (W Midlands).