Former Bradford (Park Avenue) winger Andre Brooks made his first Premier League start for Sheffield United last night, against title-chasing Liverpool no less.
It has been a remarkable rise for the 20-year-old, barely a year after playing for Avenue in National League North.
He was brought in from Bramall Lane by Mark Bower at the start of last season, playing seven times for the BD6 side.
Brooks found the back of the net once for Avenue, scoring in a 2-2 draw against Scarborough Athletic.
Few expected him to make his first senior start for the Blades just six months after leaving Horsfall, but he did just that, playing 73 minutes of a superb 1-0 FA Cup fifth round win over Tottenham Hotspur.
And despite Sheffield United gaining promotion to the Premier League at the end of the 2022-23 season, the club have continued to put their faith in Brooks.
Previous boss Paul Heckingbottom, a former Bradford City defender, brought the youngster on as a substitute in the Blades’ first two Premier League games this season, narrow defeats to Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest.
He had not featured in the top flight since that 2-1 loss against the latter in August, but new Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder, brought in after Heckingbottom was sacked on Tuesday, threw Brooks in from the start against Jurgen Klopp’s Reds last night.
Brooks and the Blades acquitted themselves well in the potential mismatch at Bramall Lane, but Liverpool proved too strong in the end, running out as 2-0 winners.
Brooks, like in that aforementioned cup tie against Spurs, played 73 minutes of the game before being substituted.
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