Manchester City youngster James McAtee believes the prospect of imminent promotion to the Premier League supports his summer decision to turn down La Liga interest and join Sheffield United.
The midfielder is targeting promotion with the Blades this term, having joined on loan from City in the summer. The 20-year-old has made 36 appearances so far this season, scoring six goals. Sheffield United are second in the Championship heading into Easter, six points above the play-off places, and also have an FA Cup semi-final with McAtee's parent club City to look forward to.
McAtee spurned other offers in the summer to move to Yorkshire, including from Spanish side Girona. The La Liga outfit have been part of the City Football Group for six years and regularly take players from the Etihad ranks. But McAtee said the prospect of winning promotion was a driving factor behind choosing a switch to the Steel City over other clubs.
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“I had interest from Girona; they’re really close to City,” McAtee told Sheffield-based newspaper The Star. “They’re doing really well over there at the moment, but I don’t have any regrets whatsoever because the lads here have treated me like family. I don’t have a bad word to say about any of them. Not one.”
The midfielder added: “When I came in, there were other clubs I could have gone to. But I wanted to be at a team where I could try and get promoted. If it does happen, it would be great. I can’t tell you what it would feel like exactly because I’ve never done it before. But I know it would be brilliant. I can remember coming for talks here with my agent. Then my mum and dad as well, and it just felt right. It was right.”
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