"No better way to celebrate" - Jesurun Rak-Sakyi sends message to Sheffield United fans after birthday brace | OneFootball

The on loan Crystal Palace man scored twice in the Blades win on Saturday, the same day he turned 22

Sheffield United climbed into the automatic promotion spots after a 2-0 win over Luton put them level on points with leaders Sunderland.

It was a great day for all concerned in red and white, but it's difficult to imagine anyone in the Steel City had a more enjoyable 24-hours than Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, who marked his 22nd birthday by scoring both goals for the Blades, his first and second at this level.

Rak-Sakyi joined the South Yorkshire club on August 16th, a season-long loan from Crystal Palace that could end up costing as much as £4 million.

Eagles fans may have been surprised that manager Oliver Glasner viewed his promising winger as surplus to requirements this campaign, after JRS scored three times in two pre-season appearances for the Premier League strugglers.

Given the hindsight of Palace only scoring five goals in their opening seven in league play, they may be regretting renting out the young winger's firepower.

A Happiest of Birthdays for Jesurun Rak-Sakyi

In the 12th minute, the former Charlton man plucked the ball out of the sky on the edge of his opponent's box, and after two deft touches past hapless Luton defenders found him in on goal, smashed the ball inside the left-hand post to open the scoring on the day.

He doubled his tally in the second half after a procession of stepovers bamboozled the 19-year-old Reull Walters, allowing him on goal once again. He slotted the ball confidently through the legs of Thomas Kaminski, finding the same corner as before.

With three shots on target, 90% pass completion and four successful take-ons from an attempted five, it was a brilliant performance from Rak-Sakyi, and earned him a FotMob match score of 9.2 (second only this weekend to Borja Sainz).

Unable to hide his jubilation, Rak-Sakyi took to Instagram to acknowledge the performance and thank his new fans.

"No better way to celebrate my birthday with 3pts and 2 goals, thank you for your support " swoons the winger, who is clearly reciprocating his supporters' endearment.

Jesurun Rak-Sakyi can flourish at Sheffield United

This was undoubtedly a statement performance from Rak-Sakyi, who at his new age of 22, will be looking to kick on and establish himself in the English game.

Ever the exciting prospect, Rak-Sakyi was the joint-leading scorer in Premier League 2 with 18 goals in 2021/22 for Crystal Palace's reserve side, before scoring 15 goals for Charlton Athletic in League One the following season.

But that is where the progression stalled, as a full-season in the Palace first-team granted him six Premier League appearances (all from the bench) before a hamstring injury sustained in November 2023 kept him out until late April.

So, while Rak-Sakyi is clearly a highly admired player, with Sheffield United beating the likes of Leeds and Blackburn for his temporary services, it is believed that the silky dribbler still has a lot to prove if he wants to become a household name.

While physicality could certainly improve, he has the incredibly rare skill-set of being able to beat his man and deliver a final product.