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Cape Town - Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder has thanked Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe for recommending in-form striker Lys Mousset.
The Frenchman joined the Blades for a then club-record £10 million fee in the summer from the Cherries as they sought to strengthen their squad ahead of a return to the topflight after 12 years away.
It was a signing that raised many eyebrows at the time – Mousset had barely featured for Bournemouth in his three years on the south coast and left with a paltry goal record of five in 71 appearances.
Indeed, the Frenchman did not start the season in the Sheffield United team with the likes of David McGoldrick, Callum Robinson, and £20 million recruit Oli McBurnie all getting more game time.
However, after being backed to make an impression sooner rather than later, he was included in the starting line-up for the first time in the 1-0 win against Arsenal on Monday evening and marked the occasion with his second goal of the season after finishing inside the six-yard box.
Then, at West Ham on Saturday, he came off the bench to equalise as the score ended 1-1.
United are eighth in the Premier League after a very encouraging opening two months under Wilder and have the joint best defensive record in the league.
Mousset is the current top scorer with three this season and Wilder admits he is grateful to Howe for speaking so highly of the 23-year-old.
"Eddie Howe and Jason Tindall at Bournemouth told me how good Lys is. He just didn't get an opportunity because of their other strikers," Wilder told the Telegraph.
"He was kept out of the team by Callum Wilson and Josh King, two of the best strikers in the division. So, his opportunities there were very limited. It's opened up for him a little bit, but he didn’t have a great pre-season. If he was up to speed, he would have started."
Mousset will be hoping to make a further impact for United when they host Burnley at Bramall Lane on Saturday.
- TeamTalk Media
