BALLSY BEN’S WILDER AT HEART
SHEFFIELD UNITED might be languishing at the bottom of the Premier League, but boss Chris Wilder believes new striker Ben Brereton Diaz is just the type of “ballsy” player he needs to mount a resurrection.
The Stoke-born Chile hitman has joined the Blades on a season-long loan deal from Villarreal. The 24-year-old struggled to find his scoring boots in La Liga after racking up big numbers at Blackburn Rovers.
Wilder said: “Ben, trust me, is a tough guy who is determined to come here and do something. He’s a ballsy lad, without a shadow of a doubt. The fact he went out to Spain, despite lots of offers from other Premier League clubs, tells you something.
“His choice of international team, that tells you something about him too. A lot of people might have laughed at that. Not him. He went and did it, despite not being a fluent Spanish speaker and not really knowing the culture inside out.
“He was happy to go into a totally different landscape – and that is an insight into his character. The club he went to in Spain, that’s not a mug club full of mug players is it? He went there knowing that he would have real competition to even get into the starting eleven.
“It’s not like he’s been watching from the stands. He has been in and around it.”
Wilder added: “I’ve tracked Ben since he started at Nottingham Forest. Jack Lester [ex-forest player, now a Blades coach] says him and centre-back Anel Ahmedhodzic were leaders in that academy side. There’s been a bit of banter between those two, and they’ll crash into each other in training.
“Ben will want to come here and show something. A really good player and strong character – so it’s a win-win for all of us.”