Sheffield United manager Paul Heckingbottom eulogised Ciaran Clark after Sheffield United continued their Premier League promotion push. In July, the Republic of Ireland international joined the Blades on a season-long loan once his days on Tyneside appeared numbered.
Eddie Howe omitted Clark from his 25-man squad on February 1, meaning he played no part in the Magpies’ remarkable turnaround at the back end of last season. Sven Botman’s big-money arrival pushed the 33-year-old further down the pecking order - forcing Clark to seek pastures new.
Heading southbound on the A1 - and dropping down a division - to Bramall Lane promised more game time but Clark endured a nightmare start. The centre-back suffered a hamstring injury just two games into his Blades career, forcing him to watch from the sidelines as Heckingbottom’s men surge towards promotion.
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Sitting just three points behind league leaders Burnley, and in the automatic promotion places, the red-and-white half of Sheffield are among the favourites to reach the promised land. Clark’s full return from injury since the World Cup break has resulted in back-to-back clean sheets.
Playing the entire 90 minutes in the 1-0 win over Huddersfield Town at the weekend proved his fitness levels are on point. Speaking post-match, Heckingbottom singled out Clark - out of contract in May - for special praise.
"He showed his quality," he told YorkshireLive. "We only got him at the back end of pre-season, so we only had a couple of weeks to work with him. He started the first league game out of position and played here for the second and did really well.
“He’s had a long period out and got thrown into the action at Cardiff. (In the) second half, I thought he was excellent down there. It’s been good to have these training weeks behind him and you can see him getting fitter each day, each week.
“We look forward to him getting a good run of consistency in terms of his training. He will have been as frustrated as the other boys who have picked up injuries, so it’s good to have him back.”
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