Paul Heckingbottom is clear on how he can get Oli McBurnie back to his Sheffield United best

Paul Heckingbottom says Oli McBurnie's first start in a Sheffield United shirt since October was just reward for his 'extremely hard work' on the training ground.

The 25-year-old appeared in a starting XI for only the fourth time in the Championship this season as he helped United grind out a well-earned point at the John Smith's Stadium against Huddersfield Town on Saturday.

It's been a stop-start season for the striker, who has been out with a combination of illness and injury and has had to make do with limited game time from the bench, with 13 of his 17 league appearances coming as a sub.

However, the Scotland international has been keen to force his way into Heckingbottom's thinking since the turn of the year and that effort has finally paid off.

"He's earned this start," Heckingbottom told Yorkshire Live.

"He has worked extremely hard for the last six or seven weeks, he's had a couple of things with illness and covid, came back and since the New Year he's been working extremely hard and forced his way into that start.

"It's not been made easy for him with the form of others, and not easy for him with what I have been asking of him, but he has earned that and I have told him that.

"We all know what he can be and what kind of problem he can be for the opposition and the amount of goals he can score.

"Pleased he's had that amount of minutes in his legs, pleased he has got efforts on goal, and as always he's put a shift in for his team as well."

He enjoyed a good first season following his £20m move from Swansea in the summer of 2019.

He finished joint top scorer with Lys Mousset as his goals helped United to an incredible ninth-placed finish.

However, he has not managed to reach those levels since.

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