Louie Barry is poised to be recalled from his loan term at Sheffield United in January, capping off a relatively fruitless period in the 22-year-old’s career.
The talented wideman was preparing for a big year in 2025/26 after his development was stifled during the first few months of the calendar year, having lit up League One at the start of last season with Stockport County.
Despite being recalled from Aston Villa and transferred to Hull City in January, Barry scored 15 goals in 23 third-tier games, placing him eighth in the scoring charts and nominated for Young Player of the Season in May.
However, only four games into his stay at the MKM Stadium, the 22-year-old was sidelined for the remainder of the season due to a knee injury.
This season was considered to be a breakout year for Barry, especially because he was due to play for Sheffield United, a team that many expected to play attractive football and compete at the top of the division.
Unfortunately, there have been other decisions this season that Blades fans believe were incorrect, and loaning the Villa wideman was one of them.
However, the 22-year-old has claimed interest from numerous play-off-chasing Championship clubs in a loan move for the second half of the season, indicating that he still has plenty of talent. So, perhaps Sheffield United should have given him more opportunities after Selles.
Louie Barry’s disastrous few months at Sheffield United.
Barry was one of Ruben Selles’ first signings after arriving at Bramall Lane in the summer, and given how hard he pushed to bring him to Hull last January, it made sense.After burning up League One with Stockport, Selles’ Tigers beat out Leeds United and Middlesbrough to sign him.This summer, interest would not have been as high, given the 22-year-old’s tenure at Hull was cut short after only four games owing to a knee injury. However, after demonstrating glimpses of quality under the Spaniard at his former club, there was considerable anticipation for what he could do with the Blades.Selles’ six-game stay at Sheffield United was a fiasco, with the club losing all six, including the first five Championship games, all of which Barry started.The wideman was not making an impression, but none of Sheffield United’s players were under Selles. However, the return of Chris Wilder for a third spell heralded the beginning of the end for Barry at Bramall Lane.A majority of the players Selles brought in have rarely played under Wilder. Nils Zatterstrom, Ben Godfrey, and Tyler Bindon have not played since the popular manager returned, and Barry has received little playing time.The 22-year-old has only made one start under Wilder, and he was substituted early in the second half against Watford. Otherwise, he’s made brief substitute appearances until the end of October, when he suffered another knee injury that has kept him out for the past month.The Blades manager has preferred Callum O’Hare in the left-sided attacking midfield role since his return, and with Gustavo Hamer recently returning from injury, who played predominantly off the left under Wilder last season, there doesn’t appear to be much room for Barry to return to the side once he recovers from his knee injury.According to the BBC, he is “unlikely” to play in December, therefore it makes sense to break connections once the January transfer window begins. Earlier this month, Football League World exclusively disclosed the possibility of Barry’s loan arrangement being terminated at the turn of the year, something that now seems unavoidable at Bramall Lane.
Rival Championship sides linked with Louie Barry proves he has quality; Sheffield United may have overlooked it.
There’s no doubting that Sheffield United under Ruben Selles was a poor team destined for relegation, and given that Barry started all the Championship games under the Spaniard, it can be easy to label him as a sub-par wideman.However, the likes of Stoke City, Hull City and Derby County, three sides who have promotion aspirations following a strong opening half to the campaign, are looking at the 22-year-old to give them a boost towards finishing in the top six, or even the top two in Stoke’s case.Barry has struggled massively in 2025, playing just 13 times across both loan spells in East and South Yorkshire, and will be champing at the bit to get back playing regularly as he attempts to showcase to the Championship what he was doing during his time at Stockport.That hunger could be exactly what a team needs to help push them towards the top six, and come the end of the campaign, people could be talking about the 2025/26 term as one which started slowly for the 22-year-old before exploding to life in a new setting.Chris Wilder is one of the better managers in the second tier, and is one of the better judges of players at the level, but perhaps Barry could be someone he got wrong? Especially if he does go and excel at a side in a better position than the Blades are currently.
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