Sheffield United supporters have become accustomed to seeing their club bounce between the Premier League and Championship in recent years, a trend which may be set to continue as the Blades have made a strong start to the second tier campaign following last season's relegation.
But the Bramall Lane faithful must yearn for the days when their club was able to operate comfortably in the top-flight, as seen during the 2019/20 Premier League season in which they landed an impressive ninth place finish, and sat just two points behind Arsenal.
One player who held a pivotal role in the Blades' remarkably successful 2019/20 campaign was midfielder John Lundstram, who came through the ranks at the Everton youth academy.
Everton must regret six-month Lundstram offer following his Blades heroics
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The midfielder never made a senior appearance for the Toffees, and instead endured several loan spells in the Football League with Doncaster Rovers, Yeovil Town, Leyton Orient, Blackpool, and lastly, Scunthorpe United, before moving to Oxford United on a permanent basis in 2015 following the expiration of his contract at Goodison Park.
But prior to moving to the Kassam Stadium, Lundstram was offered a six-month deal with the Toffees, which he told The Guardian he did not deem suitable.
He said: "I didn’t feel it was worth wasting any more time, so I just wanted to get out there and start playing first-team football regularly, and not on loan for once.
"It definitely makes a difference, being permanent.
"You just feel much more part of things."
Lundstram's logic here was clear to see, as had he agreed to a short-term deal with the Toffees, but it subsequently didn't work out for him, he would have been left without a club midway through the 2015/16 season.
But the Merseyside outfit must now regret the unfavourable terms they handed their academy product, as he went on to prove his class while with the Blades, including in the Premier League.
The Liverpudlian was first a key part of the Oxford team won automatic promotion from League Two to League One in 2016, as he made 37 appearances in the fourth tier, and notched three goals and four assists.
He then appeared in 45 of their 46 League One fixtures the following campaign, while the U's finished just four points behind the play-off spots during their first season in the third tier after promotion.
That was enough to convince the Championship Blades to snap up his services ahead of the 2017/18 season, which would prove to be a great decision.
Lundstram instantly became a second-tier regular at Bramall Lane, and made 36 league appearances during his first term with the South Yorkshire outfit, while he also produced a return of three goals and three assists.
But as the Blades won promotion from the Championship to the Premier League following a remarkable 2018/19 season, Lundstram made just 10 league outings.
However, during the subsequent 2019/20 top-flight campaign, both the player and his club silenced any doubters and proved their Premier League credentials.
As the Blades sealed a top-half spot, the midfielder notched five goals and three assists, which was a career-best return in unlikely circumstances.
At this point, Everton must have watched on at their academy product's exploits with envy and will have regretted handing him an unsuitable contract offer back in 2015.
The fact that the South Yorkshire side also finished comfortably above their Merseyside counterparts following the 2019/20 Premier League season will have only rubbed further salt into the Toffees' wounds.
John Lundstram Sheffield United stats
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Toffees must also regret Lundstram's Rangers success
Lundstram
The Blades' fortunes soon took a turn for the worse, as they were relegated back to the Championship following a dismal 2020/21 top-flight campaign.
But Lundstram had still done enough to attract interest from Scottish giants Rangers, who he joined ahead of the 2021/22 Premiership season.
The Toffees academy product was a key player at Ibrox for three consecutive seasons, and made 15 appearances during the club's almost unfathomable run to the 2022 Europa League final, as well as scoring two goals in the European competition that campaign.
Lundstram joined Turkish Süper Lig outfit Trabzonspor last summer, and his exploits there may cause yet more regret for the Toffees, who never fielded their former academy star at first-team level.
Whether that happens remains to be seen but it will have been the midfielder's Premier League exploits with the Blades that have the Merseysiders regretting their handling of him.
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