The Wolves and West Ham-linked Stoke City man Sheffield United have to get the better of

United have lost just once in their last 12 games in all competitions and they face a Stoke side in 18th place in the table and still yet to get going following the arrival of Alex Neil from Sunderland earlier in the season.

One of the players the visitors will be looking to in their attempt to get a positive result from the Lane will be surprise World Cup star Harry Souttar...

Who is Harry Souttar?

Harry Souttar joined Stoke City from Dundee United as an eighteen-year-old in 2016. His development included loan spells at Ross County and Fleetwood Town before finally establishing himself in the Potters’ first team in 2020 making 43 appearances across the 20/21 season. A strong start to the 2021/22 campaign saw the strapping 6’ 6” centre back established in a Stoke defence that conceded just 19 goals in 17 matches.

The Scottish-born Souttar qualified for a call up to the Australian national team as his mother was born in Western Australia, and it was whilst on international duty with the Socceroos in November 2021 that he suffered a devastating ACL injury that ruled him out for a year and threatened his World Cup place.

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A return to fitness in November 2022, and only three league games played, the 24-year-old Australian international retained his place for the World Cup in Qatar and played in all three group games and the Round of 16 match, the 2-1 defeat to the eventual World Cup winners Argentina; the first time Australia had progressed from the group stages in 16 years. This included keeping two clean sheets in the group stages.

A natural ball winner, Souttar topped the rankings for clearances per game (5.7) in the 2021/22 Championship season and in the current season is in the top fifteen for aerial challenges won (4.4 per game). Probably more impressively, he ranked sixth overall for aerial duels won in the recent Qatar World Cup.

A wanted man

Rumoured Premier League interest from Wolves, Leicester and West Ham has put his immediate future in doubt in the January transfer window, but Alex Neil is hoping Souttar can remain part of his plans to turn around the fortunes of Stoke City. Neil said: “We have no aspirations to sell Harry, obviously, because he makes us better. But if we want to move the club forward and try to get the club out of the league, sometimes there are players that come along, and that growth is really quick.”

Bramall Lane will host an interesting contest between Souttar and the Blades’ very own World Cup starlet, Iliman Ndiaye. Both players should have gained much confidence from their respective experiences in Qatar.

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The stats

United’s strikers will have to be at their very best to get the better of Harry Souttar, a player who appears to be Premier League bound, and if so one who United will hope to be coming up against next season.

Appearances: 6 – Tackles: 56% (5/9) – Passes: 63% (174/275) – Total passes: 275 – Interceptions: 6 – Clearances: 63 – Duels won: 40