Ben Woodburn hasn't lived up to the expectation that was set of him when he signed on loan for Chris Wilder's Sheffield United from Liverpool in the summer.
The Welsh winger has made just one start for the Blades as they challenge for a return to the Premier League after a lengthy spell out of the top-flight.
Recent reports have suggested that the Liverpool youngster is set to be recalled in January, with the Reds looking to find him a new club for the New Year.
Wales legend Ian Rush has now weighed in with his verdict on Woodburn's troubled loan spell with Sheffield United.
Rush told Wales Online that Woodburn needs to be playing regularly to fulfil his exciting potential that has earned him raving reviews at Liverpool.
"I think for Ben, he needs to play games," said Rush.
"He went on loan to play games and he's not really playing as much as we'd have liked him to have done."
The former Liverpool striker insisted that Woodburn must take his chance when given it by Wilder:
"When you do play, you've got to take your chances. You only get so long to do it.
"He doesn't like being on the bench. That's something which I'm glad he's doing. He could easily sit on the bench at Sheffield United and play maybe 10 or 20 minutes, but he needs regular 90 minutes games to get match fit."
Woodburn will be hoping that he can be part of the squad when Sheffield United take on Rotherham in the early kick-off on Saturday, where the Blades will look to keep the pressure on league-leaders Norwich with a win.
The Verdict
Sheffield United could live to regret not playing Woodburn as he could have a real impact on their promotion push this season.
His potential is there to see and it's certainly surprising to see him not featuring for the Blades, but he might be given a chance with a busy festive period approaching.
If he doesn't get a chance in the squad then Liverpool will have no hesitation in recalling the youngster back to Anfield in order to assess other potential destinations for him.
Thoughts? Let us know!
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