Man City prospect James McAtee suffered a rollercoaster of emotions on an FA Cup quarter-final weekend that ended with him missing out on a Wembley dream.
The midfielder is on loan from the Etihad at Sheffield United and featured for the Blades in the last eight win over Blackburn Rovers. Fellow City loanee Tommy Doyle scored a later winner for Paul Heckingbottom's side to book their place in the semi-finals.
But the draw then paired the Yorkshiremen with City, rendering Doyle and McAtee ineligible. It means the duo will have a watching brief this weekend, and a foot in both camps. For McAtee, who has never played at Wembley, it has resulted in a strange situation but one he has now come to accept ahead of Saturday's fixture.
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McAteee, speaking to Yorkshire Live, said: "I am going with the squad. It's a win-win for me. I want to play at Wembley and get to the final, but on the other hand, if my team win, it's a weird one and a difficult question to answer. I don't know what I will be doing at the game, but it's a good achievement for the boys. They have treated me like family and it will be a special day.
"I was obviously buzzing when we beat Blackburn, I was like 'I am going to be able to play at Wembley', I have never played at Wembley before. Then when I saw the draw and in that moment I was pretty sad but I can't really be sad, I just have to go to the game and see who wins."
The Blades are second in the Championship and poised to secure a return to the Premier League heading into the final weeks of the campaign. The cup semi-final kicks off at 4.45pm on Saturday.
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