Sheffield United stepped up their preparations for their return to the Championship by securing a comfortable 4-0 victory over Doncaster Rovers in a pre-season friendly earlier this week.
One of the players who featured in this particular clash for the Blades was Luke Freeman who recently returned to Bramall Lane following a loan spell at Nottingham Forest.
After an incredibly impressive 2018/19 campaign for Queens Park Rangers in which he provided 14 direct goal contributions in the second-tier, Freeman joined United for a fee believed to be in the region of £4m.
Unable to live up to expectations during his debut campaign, the midfielder was limited to just 16 appearances in all competitions as he failed to win over Chris Wilder's trust.
Freeman's struggles for form continued last season as he ultimately failed to make a lasting impression at the City Ground for Chris Hughton's side.
During the 23 second-tier appearances that he made for Forest, the midfielder was only able to find the back of the net on one occasion.
A report from The Mirror journalist Darren Witcoop earlier this month suggested that Stoke City and AFC Bournemouth were both keeping tabs on Freeman ahead of a potential swoop.
Making reference to his current situation, the 29-year-old has now revealed that he is set to hold talks with Blades manager Slavisa Jokanovic over his future as he seeks assurance regarding game-time.
Speaking to The Sheffield Star, Freeman said: "I haven't had the chance to speak to him (Jokanovic) yet properly.
"We've only been back in pre-season for two or three weeks.
"But we will (talk) before the season starts, I'm sure, and then take things from there."
The midfielder later added: "I'm looking to get consistent football.
"I need that at this stage of my career.
"I've not really had it for a while now, for different reasons, but I need to get back to having that."
GIVEMESPORT's Joshua Cole says...
Whilst Freeman does possess a wealth of experience at Championship level, there is no guarantee that he will be able to rediscover the form which earned him a move to United during the upcoming campaign.
A lack of consistency last season resulted in the midfielder averaging a WhoScored match rating of 6.40 in the second-tier for Forest.
Considering that the Blades currently have the likes of John Fleck and Oliver Norwood at their disposal, Freeman may struggle to overtake this particular duo in the pecking order at Bramall Lane.
Keeping this in mind, it wouldn't be at all surprising if the midfielder opts to move on to pastures new as he clearly wants to be playing regular first-team football.
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