"He will stay" - Pundit offers Sheffield United hope concerning Crystal Palace January recall | OneFootball

The Blades are at risk of losing one of their top offensive talents in January.

Jesurun Rak-Sakyi will stay with Sheffield United unless Crystal Palace are going to give him regular first-team minutes, according to a prediction from EFL pundit Carlton Palmer.

Former Sunderland, Manchester United, and West Ham United scout Mick Brown said on Tuesday that Rak-Sakyi's parent club are considering re-calling him in January. They have the option to do so and have been struggling for options in the 22-year-old's right-wing position.

Brown added that the more likely scenario is that the Palace loanee stays with the Blades until the end of the season, but the threat of a recall is there, and it is a possibility in the new year.

United boss Chris Wilder said on Friday that he is confident of keeping the winger until the end of his agreed loan spell, which would see him stay until the end of this campaign. They were reported to have paid a seven-figure loan fee to the Premier League side, according to Alan Nixon, in order to secure Rak-Sakyi's services, temporarily.

Carlton Palmer reacts to Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, Sheffield United potential recall news

Palmer - a former England international midfielder who played a good chunk of his career for the Blades' bitter rivals, Sheffield Wednesday - believes that Rak-Sakyi will remain at Bramall Lane until the end of the season unless Palace are willing to give him regular first-team minutes.

Prior to joining the Blades, the 22-year-old had a handful of top-flight appearances under his belt, with only one start against Manchester United in the 2021/22 season.

"Worrying news for Chris Wilder and Sheffield United, and their bid to get promoted this season, is that Crystal Palace are considering re-calling Jesurun Rak-Sakyi from his loan spell at Bramall Lane," said Palmer, to Football League World.

"One of the reasons why you'd send a player out on loan is, yes, you want him to get first team minutes, yes, you want him to play well, and Rak-Sakyi, 22, has joined United, he's now made 12 appearances for them, with eight of them coming from the start, and he's scored two goals while setting up one assist (prior to the Blackburn Rovers game).

"It's an area of the pitch that Crystal Palace have been struggling in. Last season, he struggled to get first-team minutes at Palace due to injuries. Obviously, with the sale of one of their star players - Michael Olise - Oliver Glasner is thinking can Rak-Sakyi come in and fill that void.

"It is a problem for Wilder, but I think that for his development, unless they are going to recall him and play him regularly in the first team, which I don't believe they would, he will stay with the Blades for the rest of the season. But losing him would be a massive blow to Wilder and his plan.

"They did pay a huge fee to take him on, I think it was in the region of £4 million. So Wilder would be disappointed, having outlayed that money, if it was broken.

"I understand the position that Palace were in, but they had already sold Olise when they allowed Rak-Sakyi to go out on loan.

"So fingers crossed he's allowed to stay with United and continue the fantastic start that he and the club have had to the season, but it's one of those where we'll have to wait and see."

Rak-Sakyi needs minutes in order to develop - that'll only definitely come with Sheffield United

Palace are in an understandably panicked situation. They have only won one Premier League game all season in the league, and they are clearly lacking a strong option to replace Olise.

However, as Palmer alluded to, Olise had been long gone when they decided to let Rak-Sakyi go to the red side of the Steel City.

If he wasn't ready in August to be their main attacking option on the right side of their formation, then why would he be now?

It'll be so much better for him and Palace, long-term, if he were to stay where he is, be allowed to develop in a team that is doing pretty well, rather than being chucked into the deep end of the Premier League.