Rotherham United backed to sign Sheffield United ace who 'ran the show' in pre-season clash v Millers | OneFootball

Ryan One has been linked with a switch to the New York Stadium on loan

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

League One strugglers Rotherham United have been backed to complete a loan swoop for Sheffield United's young striker, Ryan One, who has found regular minutes hard to come by at Bramall Lane.

It has been an extremely frustrating campaign for the Millers in what is Matt Hamshaw's first full season at the New York Stadium helm after replacing Steve Evans, with the South Yorkshire side seeing their position in the third tier under immense threat.

At present, the Reds find themselves amongst the four sides placed in the relegation zone, sitting in 22nd having taken just 24 points from as many matches, with the amount of goals scored in those outings also a major area of concern for Hamshaw and those in the stands.

Remarkably, though, the extremely congested nature of the League One table so far this season means that the Millers are only a handful of positive results away from finding themselves in the top half, as only eight points currently separate themselves and 12th-placed Peterborough United, who have been revived under the management of Luke Williams.

Unsurprisingly, transfer rumours have already begun to surface as Rotherham look to steer themselves clear of danger and begin an upward trajectory once more, having gained a reputation for being a 'yo-yo' side between League One and the Championship across the past decade or so.

This, at times, has given the Millers an advantage in terms of recruitment, although their locality in relation to Chris Wilder's side may also be a crucial factor in determining whether the aforementioned One links up with Hamshaw and current Blades loanee, Jamal Baptiste.

Despite perhaps not featuring as many times as he would have liked for United in all competitions, Football League World's Rotherham United fan pundit, Tom Eyre, hopes that the Reds can complete a temporary swoop for the man who starred against them in pre-season under Ruben Selles.

Rotherham United backed to complete loan swoop for Sheffield United's Ryan One - starring pre-season performance vs Millers highlighted

One has been on United's books for over two years now, initially signing as a 17-year-old for a six-figure sum from Scottish side, Hamilton Academical, where he previously made 36 senior appearances, scoring four times.

The Scotland youth international's senior debut for the Blades came in a seven-minute substitute appearance against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in October 2023 under Paul Heckingbottom, before featuring on a handful of occasions in the only full season of Wilder's second stint last term.

One is still under contract at Bramall Lane until the summer of 2029, and was even the subject of interest from Premier League champions, Liverpool, 13 months ago, after previously bagging his first Blades goal in a crucial victory against Bristol City at Ashton Gate in October 2024.

It was first reported by the Sheffield Star that Rotherham had begun to explore the possibility of this deal, before the Rotherham Advertiser claimed that discussions between the two clubs have held discussions over a short-term switch.

As such, Eyre is excited by the prospect of this addition, with One being a 16th-minute scorer against the Millers in a 5-0 pre-season victory for the Blades at the New York Stadium on July 19th.

"I'd be delighted to see him come in," he told FLW.

"He tore us apart in pre-season, scoring a goal and ran the show, basically. He was the best striker on the pitch.

"I don't say that lightly, but he is a player who runs hard, runs fast, works hard, can finish. He's got all the attributes you'd want in a Rotherham United striker. Someone who will press high, run the channels, get on the end of stuff," Eyre explained.

"Martin Sherif (recalled by Everton) did a great job for us. He was just never fit, unfortunately, and I wish him all the best.

"Hopefully, Ryan One can come in and do a similar, if not better, job, and stay fit and manage to really propel us up the league, because we're not in the best of situations right now," said Eyre.

"I hope that having Jamal Baptiste at the club is something that works in our favour. Supposedly, they're very good friends, and hopefully Baptiste has spoken about the good of Rotherham United (to One)."

Ryan One could help address Rotherham United's major shortcomings

As previously mentioned, goalscoring has been a major issue for Rotherham, with Sam Nombe leading the individual charts with five, although the 27-year-old has only made nine league appearances so far this season.

As Eyre alluded to, Sherif also struggled with fitness issues before being recalled by the Toffees, scoring twice in just seven outings.

As such, a swoop for One is a move which would benefit all parties, as the Millers will be aware, more than most, of the damage he can cause sides when fully firing, as he would also be set for a prolonged run of games at the New York Stadium.

This also allows the Blades to continue monitoring his progression, as he remains very highly-rated and is still under contract in the Steel City for at least three-and-a-half more years.