"A huge if" - Sheffield United receive Rhian Brewster warning despite impressive Luton Town display | OneFootball

Rhian Brewster caught the eye during Sheffield United's 2-0 victory over Luton Town on Saturday afternoon

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Sheffield United have been warned against getting their hopes up about Rhian Brewster just yet following forward's impressive performance against Luton Town over the weekend.

Brewster made an ill-fated move to Bramall Lane in the summer of 2020, joining from Liverpool on a five-year deal in a reported club-record £23.5 million switch.

The former England youth international has seen his time in the red and white quarters of the Steel City plagued by unrelenting setbacks, having missed 75 matches between 2022 and 2023 through two successive ankle injuries.

It is difficult to resist sympathy for Brewster, who had been widely regarded among the most talented young domestic forwards at the time of his move to United, coming off the back of a productive 11-goal haul on loan at Swansea City during the second-half of the 2019/20 Championship season.

Unsurprisingly, then, with such interruption to his development and limited time to consistently progress on the pitch, Brewster has often flattered to deceive when available for selection.

The striker has scored just five goals across four seasons and 87 appearances for the Blades, although there is a growing school of thought that he could enjoy some form of redemption in the final year of his contract.

Verdict offered on Sheffield United's Rhian Brewster after Luton Town display

Brewster made his first start for the Blades in the league this season during Saturday afternoon's routine 2-0 home victory over Luton Town, operating in an unorthodox role in the 10 position behind Kieffer Moore after Chris Wilder decided to rest star midfielder Gus Hamer, moving Callum O'Hare out wider to the left to accommodate the ex-Liverpool man.

The 24-year-old promptly repaid Wilder's faith by setting up Jesurun Rak-Sakyi's second goal of the afternoon after 52 minutes and made a timely impression on supporters, who are divided in opinion regarding his long-term future with the club.

We caught up with our Blades fan pundit Jimmy to gather his thoughts, and he believes that while Brewster did play well against Luton, expectation must be moderated and there is still little to suggest that he can be a potential difference-maker for Wilder's side.

"To say he can be a difference-maker is a huge if," Jimmy told Football League World.

"I don't think he will be a difference-maker if I'm honest, he's been here four seasons and coming into his fifth season now, he's scored a handful of goals in that time because he just can't stay fit.

"However, he did play well the other day. Wilder opted to rest Gus Hamer (who is on four yellow cards) with Leeds around the corner and I think it's proven to be the right decision.

"I'd love Rhian Brewster to come good as would all Sheffield United fans, he's in his final year of his contract now and is playing for a new deal, potentially.

"So that hopefully works for all parties. If he can stay fit and push Kieffer Moore or even squeeze his way into the side then he's obviously done very well, because this eleven is looking very good at the minute."

Rhian Brewster faces a crucial season at Sheffield United

Make no mistake about it, Brewster has entered make-or-break territory regarding his immediate future with the club, which very much hangs in the balance at this stage.

Of course, Brewster has less than twelve months to run on his current deal and at the time of writing, there really is not much that you could imagine would sway the Blades into looking to extend his terms.

Brewster's injury record is alarming and will doubtless be a concern for United or any other clubs considering a move in the event that he fails to earn a new deal, while he has not shown his best form for a long time now - although there are obvious mitigating factors at play.

Nonetheless, the frontman is evidently talented and could still have a future with Wilder's side, even if they are highly unlikely to ever see a tangible return on their investment.

His versatility is a big plus point in a team which has strong competition for places across all attacking areas and it could just come in his favour when it comes to staking his claim for a new deal, but Brewster needs to turn his impressive display against the Hatters into consistency in order to convince the Blades' top brass.