Man City midfielder Tommy Doyle identifies how Sheffield United have really improved him

The Manchester City midfielder, who Paul Heckingbottom would ideally like to work with again next season after guiding his squad to promotion from the Championship, believes he is stylistically “much the same player” following his spell in South Yorkshire.

But Doyle admitted the work Heckingbottom and his assistant Stuart McCall have undertaken with him after first arriving at Bramall Lane reaped one major benefit.

“I definitely think I understand football, how a match works and the things you have to do to give yourself the best opportunity of succeeding at the things you’ve planned, much better now. Without a shadow of a doubt in fact. My overall knowledge is a lot greater and I can’t thank everyone enough here for that.”

“Obviously the manager has been brilliant with me, and taught me so much,” he added. “The same goes for Macca, who does a lot of work with us in our position. The information they’ve given me has been invaluable.

“But the same goes for the rest of the lads here too. Working with, playing alongside, some great players, you pick up so much from that as well. There’s some top, top lads in that dressing room and they pass on all of the things they know as well.”

Doyle, aged 21, is scheduled to officially return to the Etihad Stadium shortly with a decision on his future there likely to be taken later this summer. Heckingbottom has made no secret of the fact he would like to retain Doyle’s services, as United begin preparing for life back in the Premier League. But with fellow City team mate James McAtee also impressing during a placement with United, that could involve him being forced to acquire one – almost certainly Doyle – on a permanent basis. Given the constraints upon his budget, that could prove tricky for Heckingbottom who met members of both United’s hierarchy and representatives of United World (UW) in Geneva today. UW is the organisation Prince Abdullah bin Musa’ad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud uses to control his portfolio of sporting interests.

“Who knows what will happen,” Doyle told The Star last week. “But if the chance arose, I’d love to come back.”