Pearson back for more

SKY Bet League One football has proved to be tougher than he initially expected, but Chadderton-based midfielder Ben Pearson had little hesitation when offered the chance to rejoin Lee Johnson’s Barnsley.

Pearson (20) has been on Manchester United’s books since he was eight and playing for Boundary Park Juniors. At Barnsley he has been a revelation. The former England under-20 international initially joined the Tykes on loan , making 22 mostly successful outings and scoring once.

Ex-Athletic boss Johnson has now moved to draft in Pearson for a return to Oakwell on a six month loan.

Pearson said: “It was quite an easy decision to go back to Barnsley to be honest. I need to be playing games, and obviously I enjoyed it here last season.”

Whether Pearson goes on to carve out a successful career with Premier League giants United remains to be seen, but the time spent with Barnsley has already proved valuable.

Asked about the standard of football in the third tier, Pearson added: “I was quite surprised to be honest last season, but I had spoken to a few lads who had been out on loan before me and they did say it was more difficult than you might expect.”