Sheffield United are now done with their summer schedule of pre-season fixtures as the main event of Championship action kicks off this coming weekend.
Bristol City arrive at Bramall Lane as the first test for Ruben Selles’ new-look Blades side, with the former Hull City manager hopeful that his team can relive their playoff magic and thump the Robins again – much like they did over two legs last season in the playoff semi-finals – before Wembley heartbreak ensued.
Fresh recruit Dijbril Soumare will be hoping he’s a part of a team this upcoming season that can dust itself down and bounce back from this agonizing promotion near-miss.
More new signings will surely be needed for Selles and Co. to be seen as promotion contenders to fear, as a new loan target now appears on the Blades’ shopping list, who could look to replicate Jesurun Rak-Sakyi’s standout stint last season.
Rak-Sakyi’s heroics at United
While Chris Wilder would ultimately lose his job as the Blades tripped up to Sunderland at Wembley, there were still plenty of entertaining performers who called Bramall Lane home last campaign.
Rak-Sakyi certainly fits into this bracket, as the Crystal Palace youngster took to his fresh EFL environment like a duck to water, with the tricky winger standing out as a useful impact player all season long.
In total, the England U21 international would fire home a hefty tally of seven goals across 34 second-tier contests, despite only being an out-and-out starter for 22 of those clashes.
Two assists would also come his way, as the “devastating” youngster – as he has been labelled by U23 scout Antonio Mango – now attempts to make a name for himself in the Eagles senior picture.
This potential new Blades signing will be hoping he can retreat to Bramall Lane and come out the other side far more confident in his own ability, too, with Selles able to land his very own Rak-Sakyi in the process.
United’s “special” next Rak-Sakyi
Selles has already utilised the loan market well, with Louie Barry joining the building from Aston Villa on loan, having worked with the Spanish head coach at Hull.
Up next, Liverpool starlet Lewis Koumas could be thrown into the first-team mix in South Yorkshire, with the Mirror previously reporting this month that the promotion nearly-men are monitoring the 19-year-old’s situation at Anfield, amid further interest coming from second-tier big boys Birmingham City and Wrexham for his loan services.
Much like Rak-Sakyi, Koumas had been thrust into the spotlight from a very early age, having made a perfect lasting impression on the Anfield masses when scoring this delightful effort last year on his first-ever senior start on Merseyside.
Former Reds boss Jurgen Klopp would even go as far as to declare the 19-year-old as “special” off the back of this dream moment, with Koumas also delivering the goods away from his boyhood club last season while cutting his teeth on loan at Stoke City.
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Koumas’ overall numbers for Stoke |
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|---|---|
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Stat |
Koumas |
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Games played |
49 |
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Games started |
31 |
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Minutes played |
2873 |
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Goals scored |
6 |
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Assists |
3 |
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Stats by Sofascore |
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Playing with the same trickery and flair that the Palace attacker is known for, Koumas would go on to pick up a reasonable six goals and three assists in all competitions for the Potters, with his game potentially taken to that next level in a promotion-chasing camp, as opposed to a Stoke side languishing near the drop zone.
That hefty amount would still be collected despite the 19-year-old only starting 31 of his 49 contests, with Koumas perhaps ready to be the next blistering option United can depend on from the bench, much like Rak-Sakyi before him.
Further dubbed as being “fearless” by Welsh legend Craig Bellamy, there will be a hope that the promising Welshman takes to the pressures of Bramall Lane well, as Selles attempts to steer his side back up to the Premier League to rectify their playoff misery.
