Sheffield United supporters, and Reda Khadra, were left scratching their heads when the attacker was subbed off around the half-hour mark in Tuesday night’s 1-0 away victory.
Reda Khadra took the place of the injured Tommy Doyle after he suffered a calf injury in the build-up to the game. This provided Khadra with only his fourth start in the Championship since making his loan switch to Brighton.
However, he did not get the chance to capitalise on the opportunity; he was substituted in the first half due to tactical reasons in what was yet another disappointing cameo for the young German.
Last night’s opposing manager Nigel Pearson claimed that Bristol City was also in hot pursuit of the pacey forward in the summer, he told Bristol Post.
He was asked about the tactical change in the first half which saw Khadra depart, to which he responded with:
“I think that’s more because the player he took off has been a huge disappointment,” Pearson said. “I think it’s more to do with them thinking, ‘any chance of him running around?’ I think it was quite a brave decision to hook him off.”
Khadra is averaging 33 minutes per appearance and his frustration is visible for all to see. It just seems odd that Heckingbottom doesn’t put his trust in a player that he chased for a month in the summer.
It could be a possibility that Brighton recalls Khadra in January if all parties agree that there isn’t a future for him at United, which would free up another loan slot for Heckingbottom to explore in the January transfer window.