Why Sheffield United will surely have one eye on Stockport County situation | OneFootball

Sheffield United will be intrigued to see how Louie Barry gets on at Stockport County following his disastrous loan spell with the Blades

Stockport County are vying to win promotion to the Championship, and Sheffield United will be intrigued by one aspect of the Greater Manchester club's developments.

The Hatters suffered a blow to their League One play-off push when they were beaten 1-0 by fellow top-six chasers Bradford City on Tuesday, thanks to a goal scored by former Stockport star Antoni Sarcevic.

Dave Challinor's men can bounce back to winning ways when they face fellow Greater Manchester outfit Wigan Athletic at Edgeley Park on Saturday.

The Latics are vying to avoid relegation to League Two, and recently re-appointed their former boss, Gary Caldwell, to replace the recently sacked Ryan Lowe, so they may have some sort of bounce under the Scotsman that County may struggle to contain.

Having added a wealth of new players to their disposal over the January window, Stockport are replenished for the final few months of the season, and they've still got to welcome back someone who knows all too well about Edgeley Park.

Sheffield United will be interested in how Louie Barry fares following Stockport County return

Aston Villa youngster Louie Barry established his EFL goalscoring credentials when he was on loan with Stockport in both 2023/24 and the first half of the 2024/25 campaign.

The versatle forward notched 16 goals and two assists in 24 appearances across all competitions for County last term, which convinced Hull City to snap up his services for the remainder of the 2024/25 campaign, which meant a step up to the Championship.

Barry though suffered a knee injury during a 1-0 win at Sunderland last season, meaning that he made just four outings for the Tigers, failing to score a goal for the MKM Stadium club.

However, his previous exploits in Stockport colours did enough to prompt Sheffield United to acquire the 22-year-old on loan from Villa last summer.

Barry failed to emulate his County form for the South Yorkshire club, though, and couldn't produce any goal contributions in nine Championship appearances, including six starts, before enduring yet another knee injury.

The Blades' chances of making a successful play-off bid in the second half of the season have not been heavily hampered by Barry's underwhelming showings, though, as they look to climb up the Championship table.

However, Chris Wilder's side will watch on with intrigue to see whether the Villa starlet makes a strong impact at Stockport when he's fit, following his highly underwhelming stint in South Yorkshire.

When Barry re-joined County on loan at the end of the winter transfer window, boss Challinor told BBC Sport: "He's obviously returning from an injury which required surgery, and we are in the hands of the medical teams as to when he returns.

"He's stepping up his rehab and should be back running in the coming week or so and, all things being equal, we may see him back out on the pitch somewhere around the middle of March."

The timescale of the 22-year-old's injury means that he is set to be back in time for vital clashes at the business end of the season, such as an encounter with Greater Manchester neighbours Bolton Wanderers on Easter Monday.

Barry proved his clinical instincts throughout his time on loan with Stockport in the first half of last season, but he was unable to prove whether he could perform in the Championship for either Hull or Sheffield United, thanks to injury issues.

Furthermore, before showing his class at Edgeley Park, he struggled for consistency during previous loan spells with Ipswich Town, Swindon Town, MK Dons, and Salford City.

Therefore, even if Barry succeeds at Stockport once more upon returning from his latest injury setback, he appears unlikely to become a first-team player for Villa, who continue to perform well near the top of the Premier League.

Meanwhile, Sheffield United will be intrigued to see how he fares in Greater Manchester following his surprisingly disastrous time at Bramall Lane - given his age, there's every chance Barry can become a Championship or even a Premier League regular, and a strong end to the season with Stockport would help that happen.