Sheffield United man keen to spoil Aaron Ramsdale’s mood amid Arsenal transfer talk that could benefit Blades

Oli McBurnie is relishing the prospect of coming up against former Sheffield United teammate Aaron Ramsdale when the Blades travel to Arsenal this weekend - although there will be no love lost on the pitch if the striker is passed fit to play. United could come up against the England international for the first time since his controversial move to the Emirates, which was secured after he effectively went on strike.

The move has been a success for Ramsdale until this season, when Mikel Arteta signed David Raya from Brentford and benched the former Blade. Raya was shaky in the Gunners’ 2-2 draw with Chelsea at the weekend and Ramsdale could get the nod to face Paul Heckingbottom’s side. McBurnie is also hoping to feature, having limped off against Manchester United last weekend with a groin injury, and is looking forward to seeing Ramsdale again after their time together at Bramall Lane.

“He’s just had his baby so I’m really happy for him,” McBurnie said of Ramsdale. “I was speaking to him a few nights ago so I’m buzzing for him and his missus. It’ll be good to see a friendly face but hopefully I can stick a few past him if he’s playing. And if he’s not playing, hopefully I can stick a few past his mate so he can be playing.”

Arteta, whose side were in Champions League action against Sevilla last night, has faced questions all season about his choice of goalkeeper, with reports this week suggesting Chelsea could look to exploit Ramsdale’s situation and launch a move to bring him across London in January. That could be good news for the Blades, who are understood to have inserted a sell-on clause into the deal which took Ramsdale to the Emirates shortly after they were relegated from the Premier League.

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The move came about after Ramsdale refused to play for the Blades away at West Brom, in a bid to force through his exit, after revealing that the stress of the transfer saga saw him develop the skin condition psoriasis. Ramsdale was part of the Arsenal side that briefly threatened to win the Premier League title last season, before being overhauled by Manchester City, and Arteta’s men are third this time around, two points behind leaders and big rivals Tottenham.

“We know we’re playing against top-class players, some of the best in the world,” McBurnie added. “But I enjoy the challenge of testing against these and giving them a hard time. I think most teams know when they play us that we’re not going to give in and die. My personal opinion is that I never want a centre-half to come off having had an easy game against me and, if everyone in the team does that then more times than not, we’ll be okay.”