David McGoldrick makes Sheffield United confession that says everything | OneFootball

Mansfield Town frontman David McGoldrick is looking forward to potentially making his Stags debut against former club Sheffield United

Mansfield Town striker David McGoldrick felt it was "meant to be" seeing his new club draw his old side, Sheffield United, in the EFL Cup first round.

The 38-year-old veteran frontman spent four years at Bramall Lane between 2018 and 2022 and played a key role in the Blades' promotion to the Premier League under Chris Wilder in the 2018/19 campaign, netting 15 times in 45 Championship appearances.

He also played a key role in the subsequent two years in the top flight with Sheffield United, before they were relegated in 2021, and he moved on to Derby County one year after that.

Now, he has an opportunity to make his Mansfield debut against his old club and his old manager when the two go head-to-head at Field Mill on Sunday.

David McGoldrick is looking forward to going up against Sheffield United on Sunday

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McGoldrick is, arguably, one of the more well-liked names in the EFL currently, due mainly to the rather extraordinary standards he keeps setting for someone who turns 39 in November.

The former Republic of Ireland international became somewhat of a cult hero during his four years at Sheffield United, and he admitted he wished he could be returning to Bramall Lane in the upcoming cup bout.

Nevertheless, he will be expected to receive a warm show of appreciation from the travelling Blades fans to Mansfield on Sunday.

"It would have been nice if it was at the Lane because I've never been back there to play since I left," he told BBC Radio Sheffield. "Obviously, the place and the club hold special memories for me, which I can't really describe.

"But yes, it's a great draw to play against them. Chris [Wilder] being the manager as well, they've obviously had different managers over the past couple of years since I left.

"But Chris being back there now and playing against them will be a special feeling. When I saw the draw, I thought it was meant to be."

David McGoldrick expects Chris Wilder and Sheffield United not to take the cup tie lightly against Mansfield Town

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There's a lot of speculation over how managers across the EFL will approach the EFL Cup first round match-ups this weekend.

Traditionally, the cup matches take place midweek following the opening day, and those in the dugout see it as an opportunity to mass-rotate and give young players opportunities. But with it being the first weekend of the season, there's less congestion in the August fixtures, and it may be taken a little more seriously by those in the dugout.

McGoldrick thinks that Chris Wilder will be in the latter camp, and expects a difficult task for his new side against the Blades.

"Chris is going to have them right up for this game. He'll want the boys to come and start well," the frontman added.

"So it's going to be a real tough game for us at the weekend. We're going to be the same; we want to give them a tough game."

The Blades went unbeaten through six pre-season games this summer, winning four of them, while Nigel Clough's side won two and lost two of their games in front of fans, losing 3-1 against Derby in their final friendly last Friday.

Both will seemingly be wanting to start the season on the front foot and enter the opening day of their respective league campaigns with momentum, which could make for an intriguing cup tie.

Sheffield United and Chris Wilder will want to make up for FA Cup defeat against Mansfield Town last season

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Not only does Sunday allow Sheffield United to continue their momentum from an unbeaten pre-season, but it also allows them to avenge being dumped out of the FA Cup by their third-tier opponents last season.

Back in January, Mansfield came out on top in a real end-to-end tie in the third round of the FA Cup, winning 4-3 at Bramall Lane. Blades academy graduate Louis Reed stole the show with a couple of goals.

The Stags would go on to reach the fifth round of the competition for the first time since 1975 and took the lead against eventual Premier League champions Arsenal in that game, too.

Meanwhile, that loss against Mansfield was arguably the catalyst for the derailment of Sheffield United's outside play-off push under the returning Wilder. The Blades would lose to Charlton Athletic and Southampton in the following two games and really struggled to put a string of wins together afterwards.

There'll be a little bit of incentive to avenge that defeat from a Blades perspective. On the Mansfield side, it marks yet another matchup against his former side for veteran manager Nigel Clough and now veteran frontman McGoldrick.

So, with plenty of storylines heading into kick-off, plus the memories of the seven-goal thriller in the background, too, it's shaping up to be an entertaining cup tie at Field Mill on Sunday.