'Can't speak highly enough...' - John Egan hails Sheffield United man as he opens up on injury nightmare

John Egan, the Sheffield United skipper, has admitted he “can’t speak highly enough” of teammate Sam Curtis after the young Irishman’s rapid rise to prominence. The 18-year-old became the League of Ireland’s youngest-ever player when he broke through at St. Pat’s, before a January move to United saw him make a dream Premier League debut away at Everton.

With Jayden Bogle currently the only senior right-back on United’s books, and United’s transfer activity effectively placed on hold amid negotiations over a Bramall Lane takeover, next season could represent a great chance for Curtis to continue his upward trajectory in the Championship - with fellow Irishman Egan impressed by his attitude since making the move to England earlier this year.

United/Burrows state of play amid Peterborough hint and 'medical' talk

“I got to know Sam quite quickly with the Irish connection,” said Egan. “I was his taxi driver for a while at the start! I’ve got to know him really well. He came in and you can tell he has got a lot of first team games under his belt. He has fitted into the dressing room really well, trains really hard, and has got big belief in himself.

“He’s been brilliant. When I’ve been on the grass working on my own, I’ve seen that he is doing extras all the time. His attitude is really good for the game and he wants to improve. I can’t speak highly enough of him.”

It remains to be seen whether Egan and Curtis ever line up alongside each other in a United shirt, with Egan out of contract at the end of this month and still on the comeback trail from the Achilles injury that curtailed his season back in September. The player is leaving talks about his future in the hands of his representatives while he focuses on his fitness bid but opened up on the physical and mental toll that his long absence has taken.

United's important weapon in transfer market amid budget restriction

“It was very hard,” he admitted. “The worst thing about professional sport is getting an injury, especially a long-term one. It was hard to accept at the start, but once you have the road to rehab and the road to recovery laid out in front of you, you just have to trust the process, give your body time to heal and do all the work that’s asked of you.

“I think that’s a lot of what people don’t see. When you’re out for a long time, mentally you have to be strong. I could draw on experience from when I was 20 and I broke my leg, so I’ve been down this road before. That kind of helped me in my recovery. Mentally there is a lot of things you have to do, but the biggest one is to be patient and trust in the process and give your body enough time to tick every box along the way.

“I’ve been injured for a good few months now and been in the physio room, so I’ve seen a load of different injuries and lads coming in and out. The last eight or nine years before that, I probably wouldn’t have paid attention to the mental battles people are going through with injury.”