Bournemouth v Sheffield United - Record signing Oli McBurnie determined to ‘have a right good go’

Not only was Dean Court a stopping off point for the Blades during their League One sojourn as recently as 2013 but the charming surrounds of King’s Park and small capacity hardly compare with the imposing approaches to Anfield or Old Trafford.

From the moment, however, that Chris Wilder’s side were handed an opening day trip to the south coast this fixture suddenly became the hottest ticket in town.

After a dozen years away, the Blades are back in the big time and hopes are high that the club’s stay among the elite can be extended beyond the solitary season managed by Neil Warnock’s side.

Central to those hopes is Oli McBurnie, the Leeds-born striker who became United’s record signing earlier this month when he joined from Swansea City for an initial £17m that will rise by a further £3m should the south Yorkshire club survive.

“There is a real sense of excitement,” the 23-year-old told The Yorkshire Post. “You want to test yourself against the best in the world in the best league in the world. It is something I am really excited about and the rest of the boys are the same.

“I have joined a hungry group and a great dressing room. Some of the boys have never played in this division and I think that will help. It means you have no fear and go in with an open mind, determined to take it as you find.

“We want to prove to ourselves we belong here. That is what you want to do when a kid, play in this league week in and week out.”

McBurnie’s record-breaking move to Bramall Lane brought the striker back to his native Yorkshire. Born and bred in the West Riding, he was part of the Elland Road youth set-up before moving to Bradford City as a teenager.

Quickly catching the eye at Valley Parade, he spent a couple of weeks at Manchester United thanks to a link-up between the late Peter Horne, City’s head of youth operations, and Old Trafford Under-18s coach Paul McGuinness.

A starring role in a Milk Cup triumph saw McBurnie win the golden boot after scoring five times but he stayed at Bradford. A senior debut followed but regular first-team football eluded the striker, who moved to Swansea City for an initial £250,000 in 2015.

Crucially for the Bantams, a 15 per cent sell-on clause was included in the transfer – something that netted the League Two club a little under £2.5m when McBurnie joined the Blades.

“It does feel a little crazy to come back having cost so much,” he said. “I can’t really believe it. But I always had confidence in myself that I could play at a higher level.

“The move to get out of Bradford was the right one for me at the time. I went to learn my trade at Swansea in the 23s, while also managing a couple of loan spells.”

Swansea may have been the club that nurtured McBurnie’s talent to turn him into a Scotland international but it was a loan spell at Barnsley in the second half of 2017-18 that really propelled his career forward.

“Someone told me the other day I have played for seven clubs,” said McBurnie, who netted nine goals in 17 appearances for the Reds under Paul Heckingbottom. “That seems ridiculous but it is true.

“I have played in every division, from Premier League down to Conference. I have put in the hard yards and loved my time at those clubs, and particularly at Barnsley. That was a massive time in my career. Barnsley were struggling and not a lot of other teams would take me on loan.

“I had not played first-team football for two years, instead it had mainly been (Under) 23s. I went to Barnsley and they gave me a chance to prove something. I felt I did that.

“I will always be grateful to them for that. Obviously, it did not finish how I wanted it to finish with relegation. But, on a personal level, going there was fantastic as I developed so much at Barnsley.

“I went to back to Swansea feeling like a different player. It was the first spell of my career where I had a good run. I was in the Championship and yet I played 15-16 games in a row.

“I developed so much and scored so many goals. Ultimately, I went back to Swansea knowing I could lead the line in the Championship.”

McBurnie netted 22 times last season for Swansea, including twice against the Blades. He also scored against Wilder’s United for Barnsley.

“The gaffer and the club have shown a lot of faith in me,” added the club record signing. “There is probably a bit of pressure with the fee. But I can embrace that pressure, I have always been good with pressure on my shoulders.”

As for returning to a level where he made two starts for Swansea, McBurnie added: “We are not just here for the ride. We want to cause a few upsets. We want to do well and stay in this division. We want to be an established Premier League team, similar to what Bournemouth have become.

“I am looking forward to every game, up against the biggest teams in the best stadiums. It is what you dream about as a kid.

“But we are not going to the big ground just to take a few photos or anything like that. We are here to cause a few upsets and have a right, good go. That is what we are going to do.”