Sheffield United manager Paul Heckingbottom has explained his thinking behind benching Tommy Doyle after the Manchester City loanee was dropped for the recent games at Blackburn and Reading.
Doyle was impressive in the Championship outfit's FA Cup triumph over Tottenham Hotspur last week, but he was named among the substitutes for the trip to Ewood Park at the weekend. The 21-year-old came on for the final 14 minutes in the 1-0 defeat at Blackburn and remained on the bench for Tuesday night's win over Reading.
The City loanee has made 26 appearances in all competitions for the Blades this season, registering two goals and five assists since arriving at Bramall Lane in the summer.
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While the decision to drop Doyle to the bench came as a surprise to some United fans, Heckingbottom insisted that a combination of tactics and being conscious of the player's recent calf injury were the reasons behind his decision.
"There was no way he was playing against Blackburn, just from how he performed physically in that [Spurs] game," Heckingbottom told Yorkshire Live. "I'm also wary of how Tommy's done his calf, the last couple of times he's done it is when he's had that 90 minutes. Arguably that's always been after his most energetic games. And I felt it was a game for Macca on Tuesday.
"Listen, there's not only Tommy missing out on the 11. There are good players missing out on the 18 now and that's sort of where we want to get to. I want all the players fit and available. I'd rather be having difficult conversations with the players I'm leaving out of the squad, than scratching about and looking at the bench thinking: 'How are we going to change this?'
"So it's what we wanted. Tommy knows what we think of him and that it's no reflection on him as a footballer, as a player. As everyone else does when we're picking the 11. But the message when we speak to players is, the challenge - and it is a challenge because you're disappointed and Tommy wants to play as much as every player - is to make sure that you're ready and fit and you've got that focus and energy about you for when you do play."
Doyle came through the ranks at City and has made seven appearances for the first-team so far in his career. He made his debut for the Blues in a 3-1 win over Southampton in the Carabao Cup in 2019.
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