Sheffield United told to loan out rarely-seen striker - he should’ve already gone “elsewhere” | OneFootball

FLW's Blades Fan Pundit speaks on Ryan Oné's situation at Bramall Lane

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…

There is belief that Sheffield United forward Ryan Oné should've been sent out on loan in the summer after his opportunities have seemingly dried up at Bramall Lane.

The 19-year-old Scottish forward joined Sheffield United from Hamilton Academical in September 2023, but has found himself on the periphery since Blades brought in multiple new forwards during the summer transfer window.

Before being limited to just five appearances this season, with his last outing coming in August - Oné scored 13 goals in his first campaign with the club’s U21s and subsequently made his Premier League debut against Arsenal that same year.

Sheffield United's academy is not a "high enough" level for Ryan Oné

Speaking about Oné's predicament, FLW’s Sheffield United Fan Pundit, Jimmy from Blades Ramble, was clear in his assessment that a loan move would have benefited the young forward's development a lot more.

"Absolutely, he'd have been better playing league football elsewhere getting minutes," Jimmy stated, highlighting the importance of regular competitive football for young players at obviously crucial stages of their development.

The Fan Pundit's concerns extend beyond just Oné's individual situation, pointing to somewhat wider issues within Sheffield United's development pathway.

Jimmy specifically referenced the limitations of the club's Category 2 academy status, explaining how this impacts the quality of competition available to the South Yorkshire club's promising youngsters.

"In men's football, one of the criticisms of the U21's at the minute, we're a CAT 2 status and although the U21's do really well in their respective league, it's not seen as high enough level of competition for them," Jimmy explained.

Just to make you aware, Category 1 is the highest-level for an academy in England, then 2, then 3.

Blades' academy has indeed been dominant at their level, with the U21s winning the Professional Development League North title for five consecutive years.

However, this very success has raised questions - like Jimmy's - about whether the level of competition is sufficient to prepare talented individuals for the step-up to Championship football.

Summer signing Danny Ings grabbed his first start of the campaign away at Blackburn Rovers on Tuesday, and it's hard to see where Oné gets in ahead of others like Tyrese Campbell, Tom Cannon and Louie Barry.

"Not just Ryan Oné" who needs a loan move away from Sheffield United

Jimmy’s words extend beyond Oné to identify several other Sheffield United academy products who would benefit from loan moves to gain valuable first-team experience.

"I think that's not just Ryan Oné, that'll be several players. You look at Louie Marsh and maybe even Femi Seriki (pictured with Callum O'Hare) who isn't getting a look-in at the moment at Sheffield United, so there's some real players that need a loan and need minutes under their belt to become first team contenders," Jimmy concluded.

Unlike Oné, Marsh and Seriki have already experienced the benefits of loan football. Seriki was even linked with a deadline-day move to QPR in February, though Sheffield United refused to sanction the deal.​

Marsh spent some time on loan at Doncaster Rovers in 2023 before playing 16 times for Fleetwood town last season. Seriki on the other hand, has had temporary spells at Beerschot in Holland, Boston United, Rochdale and Rotherham.

So, in Jimmy's eyes, despite producing Premier League talents like Kyle Walker and Phil Jagielka, the current system appears to be struggling with the 'transition' phase for promising prospects.