Sheffield United forward Oliver Burke could well be set for a way out of his Bramall Lane nightmare. 

The former Nottingham Forest starlet has today been linked with a move to join Middlesbrough by TEAMtalk, with the North East outfit having recently appointed former Blades boss Chris Wilder as their new manager.

Burke is one of a number of players at Sheffield United who doesn't currently feature in the plans of Slavisa Jokanovic and would no doubt be intrigued if an offer was forthcoming from Boro.

Indeed much of his spell with the Blades has been uninspiring to say the least since he signed from West Brom back in the summer of 2020, with the forward having only registered two goals and one assist in the 35 appearances that he has been afforded in red and white.

A move to the Riverside Stadium offers him the chance to link up with a manager who gave him more of a chance to thrive in the Steel City, with his future looking bleak at present.

After all, Burke was once regarded as one of the most promising youngsters in the game at one stage and boasted a reputation that saw him snapped up by German Bundesliga side RB Leipzig in what was a very lucrative deal.

However his spell on the continent didn't go to plan and it led to a downward spiral in form that saw the 13 time Scotland international take in far from memorable spells with the likes of West Brom, Celtic and Deportivo Alaves.

In short Burke needs a new start to reinvigorate a career which is struggling to kick into gear, even though he is still aged just 24.

Wilder could offer the key to this and it would certainly be intriguing to see if the Blades would be open to dealing with their former manager after how his tenure ended at Bramall Lane.

It is an interesting sub plot to what could be one of the best Championship transfer stories of the winter window.