Luke Freeman during his time with QPR. (Getty Images)
According to BBC, Nottingham Forrest have signed Sheffield United attacking midfielder Luke Freeman on a season-long loan deal.
The 28-year-old had become more or less an unwanted man at Bramall Lane despite arriving from Championship side QPR just last summer. A creative midfielder, Freeman failed to break into the Blades first-team, making just three Premier League starts last season.
He made just 16 appearances for Sheffield across all competitions, suggesting that he was clearly not one of the favourites under manager Chris Wilder.
Sheffield United at the moment have as many as six midfielders in their ranks apart from Freeman, implying that he is surplus to the club’s requirements.
Wilder has mostly preferred the midfield trio of Oliver Norwood, John Fleck, John Lundstram over others mostly this past season. To add to this, he brought in young midfielder Sander Berge from Genk back in January, who since then has become an integral part of the Blades’ first-team.
That said, it was clear that Freeman’s opportunities would have been increasingly limited in the coming days. Moreover, Wilder prefers to play with a 3-5-2 formation, in which midfielders play slightly deeper role rather than an attacking one.
Hence, it is best for Sheffield to have allowed their out-of-favour midfielder Freeman leave on loan as it will also save them a lot of time and money. At the same time, it will also guarantee game time for the midfielder, helping him improve his game.
Sheffield United have enough depth in their midfield and losing Freeman will not hurt them next season. Despite being an experienced campaigner, Freeman has struggled for game time at Bramall Lane this past season and has ultimately fallen down the pecking order.
Thus, loaning him out to Nottingham Forest is the right decision by the club as it is in the best interest of all parties involved.
