Sheffield United manager Paul Heckingbottom sent a message of encouragement to James McAtee after a disappointing outing for his loan club against Luton Town on Friday.
The 19-year-old secured a season-long switch to Bramall Lane earlier this month and started his third game in the 1-1 draw with the Hatters. The midfielder failed to make an impression on the game and was replaced by fellow City loanee Tommy Doyle at half-time.
It is McAtee’ s first move away from City ’s academy after clocking up six first-team outings for the champions. However, it seems the playmaker will need time to get used to the rough-and-tumble of the Championship.
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Heckingbottom admitted that McAtee’s performance against Luton was sub-par but backed him to learn and improve from the experience. “James will feel shocking, totally shocking,” Heckingbottom said, per The Sheffield Star .
“But if we’re watching him in the Premier League in a few years time, it’s a match he’ll always look back on and remember. He’ll never forget what happened out there and that’s a good thing. Everyone goes through it, and I mean everyone.”
He added: “I’ll always be honest with James, because that’s important. He had Premier League clubs wanting him but he didn’t want to be part of a squad and he knows we are going to give him game time.
“It’s part of the learning process, knowing that people are going to get physical with you because they know you’re a good player.”
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