The "football industry" works against young players like Ryan Oné developing and progressing at clubs like Sheffield United. We have been, are, and will probably remain - a striving club. Indeed, with the advent of the Play Offs, many more clubs are already - striving clubs. Always striving for promotion, play offs, or avoiding relegation. Season after season. There are clearly good things about that situation - it maintains fans interest in the season. And gives us dramatic sink or swim, last chance saloon, scenarios.
But, it also leads to an inbuilt conservative, safe approach to recruitment, retention, squad size, etc. Understandably, there is a tendency to have large squads, packed with experienced, tried and trusted, done it before, players.
Layer that with the Transfer Windows. And you get the situation where (for illustration). We are light on strikers going into a window, so we need the likes of Ryan to stay, and not be loaned out, we are thin. But then we make some backstop, dare I say short term, dare I say journeyman, signings, maybe very late in the window. Too late for a full assessment of the squad, too late for strategy, too late for pathways, too late to find the right loan out for the likes of Ryan.
So, Ryan had been a necessary part of the squad at 9pm. But by 11pm, he's surplus to requirements, he's moved down two places in the pecking order, jumped over by players who most likely won't be here at the start of next season. I'm not particularly talking specifics here. I'm painting a picture of the dynamics.
It's very difficult...
