Sheffield United legend Paddy Kenny thinks new Blades recruit Ben Davies will be an 'outstanding signing' for Slavisa Jokanovic's side, in an interview with Football Insider.
26-year-old arrived at Bramall Lane on a season-long loan from Liverpool on Monday - and is a much-needed signing for a side who conceded four against West Bromwich Albion in midweek.
Although Chris Basham and John Egan are established options at Championship level, the departures of Phil Jagielka and Kean Bryan has left their central defence looking light in options.
To make things worse, long-term absentee Jack O'Connell underwent a second operation in pre-season in his recovery from a knee injury and remains on the sidelines for the foreseeable future.
In their bid to bolster their options, they have brought in a man who became a vital player for Preston North End before moving on to Liverpool in February amid an injury crisis at Anfield.
However, he sustained his own injury shortly after and has failed to make a single appearance for Jurgen Klopp's side. And with previous absentees returning and the likes of Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams emerging as first-team options, his senior minutes were always going to be limited this season.
Sheffield United manager Slavisa Jokanovic has taken advantage of this by bringing the 26-year-old in and ex-Blades goalkeeper Paddy Kenny believes this is a shrewd addition.
Speaking to Football Insider about the club's first arrival of the summer, he said: "I think he’s a great signing.
"He was doing really well at Preston before he signed for Liverpool. Sadly, he didn’t get his chance there.
"I think after watching Sheffield United last night, they need someone who is dominant in the air.
"I think he’ll be an outstanding signing for them. He has definitely got a point to prove after what’s gone on at Liverpool.
"They couldn’t deal with throw-ins and set-pieces last night. Having watched them last night, I didn’t see anyone doing that.
"They need someone who is going to go in and shake up that dressing room, grab hold of people and tell them to do their job."
The Verdict:
After Wednesday night's result, Davies has come in at exactly the right time and with a central defence that was previously lack depth quite severely, this signing is a much-needed one.
With the 26-year-old unlikely to get another chance at Liverpool considering the options they have at centre-back, this is the ideal opportunity for the defender to put himself in the shop window and if things work out well, he could potentially make his loan move at Bramall Lane permanent.
However, he needs to focus more on the short-term right now, because his side are in a very sticky situation after winning just one point from their opening three league matches and this form may continue unless he's on his A-game.
The Liverpool man isn't a guaranteed starter either with Basham and Egan as capable options Jokanovic could utilise, and at 26, this could be a make-or-break year in terms of his career.
But if he can showcase why Liverpool decided to take a chance on him earlier this year, this could be the start of something special for the defender.