Sheffield United boss Paul Heckingbottom has revealed that no players based in Scotland that have been linked with a move to Bramall Lane are currently on his radar, making this transfer admission to The Star.

One of those players is Hibernian's Josh Doig, with the left-back shining for the Scottish Premiership side during the 2021/22 campaign as one of the first names on the teamsheet at Easter Road.

Making 42 appearances in all competitions last season, he was reportedly on the Blades' radar this summer despite this area already being well-covered with Enda Stevens, Rhys Norrington-Davies and the returning Max Lowe available as options.

 

 

Lowe, however, has been linked with a return to Nottingham Forest with Steve Cooper believed to be keen on striking a permanent deal for the 25-year-old after seeing him impress at the City Ground last season.

Heckingbottom is seemingly keen on keeping hold of him though with officials at Bramall Lane believed to have raised their price tag for the left-sided player after his semi-successful spell in the East Midlands.

Not surprisingly then, Doig is not currently on their radar and this could provide a boost to Italian duo Bologna and Hellas Verona who are both reported to be interested in recruiting the 20-year-old.

The Verdict:

Although he's a talented player, Doig is the last player they should be targeting at this stage because a couple of things would need to happen for the 20-year-old to become a worthwhile target.

Firstly, Lowe would have to seal a permanent departure away from Bramall Lane because although the ex-Forest loanee is older than the Hibernian man, the former could still be a good long-term option in South Yorkshire.

Secondly, Norrington-Davies would have to be sent out on another loan spell because the presence of Doig and Stevens would surely limit the amount of game time he will win at Bramall Lane.

The Welshman needs regular game time at this stage of his career and he risks not being able to fulfil his potential if he doesn't manage to get on the pitch regularly, so another loan spell could actually be good for him.

But they should be looking at other areas at this point with the Blades yet to address their centre-back situation, with a new goalkeeper needed as well if Adam Davies leaves. Those are just two of several areas that need to be looked at.