Buses, lightning and David McGoldrick

Denied by VAR against Tottenham in November. Some tame finishing against Wolves in December. Then just a few weeks later, an open goal miss against Brighton.

These are just a few of David McGoldrick’s woes in front of goal this season before he finally broke his Premier League duck with not one, but two goals against Chelsea yesterday evening.

Some will see his lack of goals and judge McGoldrick purely on this, but that would be to severely undervalue his overall contributions and the reasons why Chris Wilder has persevered with him.

The tag most often stuck to this Sheffield United side is that they are hard working and have an excellent attitude. This is true, but does miss the fact that they are a side full of players of underrated quality. And none exemplify this more than McGoldrick.

The former Ipswich man, who scored his first goal for the Republic of Ireland last year, has a wonderful ability on the ball, that so often gets missed.

This ability presents itself in little flashes. Last night in a tight corner just inside his own half, he precisely stepped round Jorginho with two neat touches. Against Arsenal the other week in the FA Cup; a perfectly executed Maradona turn past Dani Ceballos that left the Spaniard chasing his own ankles.

It’s these little moments of quality that prove vital for the Blades, helping to create space in the final third. Be it a little trick to beat his man, or a clever reverse pass to split a gap between defenders, McGoldrick will always have something in his locker.

Sheffield United are a superbly coached side, but every team needs the occasional sprinkling of gold dust to help unlock the opposition. This is what McGoldrick provides, and is something that has become ever more important in the Premier League for the Blades.

In their promotion winning season in the Championship, United generally operated in a 3-4-1-2 rather than the 3-5-2 we now see in the Premier League.

It had room for a number 10, a role that was filled excellently by Mark Duffy. Both him and McGoldrick were able to provide a lot of the creative spark needed to break down teams.

But since the Blades’ promotion to the Premier League, Duffy has left the club and Wilder has opted for a more solid midfield trio. This has shifted more of the creative onus onto McGoldrick, with Duffy even revealing in a recent interview with the Athletic that McGoldrick has jokingly blamed him for not scoring as many goals due to also having to fulfil the number 10 role.

His creative and link up play is key for the Blades, but Wilder also highlighted his personality as an important part of his side.

“We should be absolutely delighted we have him at our football club. He’s a great character,” Wilder told the BBC after the match.

“I’ve said it before, he’s one of the most popular players I’ve seen to pull on a Sheffield United shirt. Everyone watching from a distance tonight will be absolutely made up for Didzy.

“It’s incredible, the boy’s not scored but he’s one of the favourites with the punters.”

“He’s a favourite with the players and certainly one of the best players that I’ve ever worked with.”

McGoldrick also puts in an excellent shift defensively and off the ball, working hard alongside his teammates to keep shape and close players down.

But hard work and a good attitude is something that so often gets attached to McGoldrick and the rest of the Sheffield United team. While it is a positive tag, it does mean that their ability and talent is something that often gets missed.

As stated earlier, McGoldrick is the perfect example of this. He’s hard working, but his talent with the ball at his feet is what helps a superb Blades side tick in the final third.

It’s been an interesting two years for McGoldrick. After being released by Ipswich, he now is a man who has been key for a side challenging for a European place, and now with his 42nd and 43rd shots of the season, he is also a Premier League goalscorer.

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