Sheffield United star may have West Ham transfer regret right now | OneFootball

Harrison Burrows had Premier League options this summer, but is now struggling for Championship minutes

Sheffield United left-back Harrison Burrows may hold some regrets from the summer.

The 23-year-old was linked with a move to West Ham United this summer by The Sun, but the move never transpired, and he remained with the Blades.

Another season in the Championship may not seem like the worst outcome for the relatively young defender, but with the return of Chris Wilder to the club, following a chaotic start under Ruben Selles, Burrows now appears to have lost his place to teammate Sam McCallum.

From weighing up Premier League football to sitting on the bench in the Championship, Burrows may be holding some regrets – but it still may not have been the worst course of events.

Harrison Burrows was on West Ham’s radar

According to The Sun’s report in August, Burrows had caught the attention of the Irons in his Championship campaign with the Blades.

He’d just completed his debut season for the Yorkshire side, following a £6m move from Peterborough United, and impressed with five goals and three assists.

Any interest, however, was not followed up on by the London outfit, and Burrows remained at Bramall Lane.

The Blades’ struggles at the start of this season are well-documented, with Selles lasting just a handful of games, before the club decided to turn back to the manager they’d just sacked before the summer.

Burrows has not been immune to that unsettled environment and, like many players tipped for greatness at the club this season, has not been at his very best.

Far from kicking on and proving why he needs to make the next step-up, he has gone on to lose his place to McCallum under Wilder, making just one start since the beginning of October.

For the first time in his young career, it feels like something of a backwards step.

West Ham may not have been the smartest move for Harrison Burrows

Despite that misfortune, however, missing out on the West Ham opportunity may not have been the worst thing for Burrows.

Weeks earlier, the Hammers had forked out £19m for left-back El Hadji Malick Diouf from Slavia Prague; not a player in the consciousness of the average football fan, but clearly someone the club had a lot of faith in.

That faith proved wise, as the Senegalese defender so far looks to be one of the smartest pick-ups in the summer, against the backdrop of a difficult start for West Ham.

Not only would Burrows have been competing and likely struggling for minutes against Diouf, he’d be doing so in a West Ham side that look in serious danger of being dragged into a relegation scrap.

For a young player looking to make his mark in the Premier League, it doesn’t look the most inviting environment.

There's still plenty of time for Harrison Burrows to work things out

Burrows’ reduced playing time over the past few weeks is certainly not ideal, but still just 23 years old, it certainly isn’t terminal for his career at the top level.

Players have bounced back from much greater setbacks, and there is little doubt about the talent he possesses.

Even in this tough run, he managed to come off the bench against Blackburn Rovers and register a goal and an assist in just 28 minutes.

Add that recent display to his impressive CV, including 29 goal involvements in all competitions for Peterborough in his last season there, plus three goals and seven assists in the Posh’s foray into the Championship in 2021/22; it’s clear Burrows is up to the level.

If McCallum is Wilder’s preferred man, then a move could soon be on the cards for Burrows, but having missed out on West Ham, that next step doesn’t necessarily now have to be a negative one.