Harrison Burrows
Harrison Burrows (born 12 January 2002) is an English professional footballer who plays as a left-back or left wing-back for EFL Championship club Sheffield United.[1] Standing at 1.80 metres tall and left-footed, he is known for his attacking contributions from the flank, including goals and assists, alongside solid defensive work.[2] Burrows began his career in the youth academy of Peterborough United, joining at age six in 2008 and progressing through the ranks until 2019.[3] He made his senior debut for the club on 13 August 2019 in the EFL Cup against Oxford United. His league debut came later that month in a 4–0 EFL League One victory over Milton Keynes Dons, coming on as a substitute in the 70th minute.[4] Over five seasons with Peterborough from 2019 to 2024, he amassed 185 appearances across all competitions, scoring 20 goals and providing numerous assists, establishing himself as a key player and eventual captain.[3] Notable highlights include winning the EFL Trophy in the 2023–24 season and earning three end-of-season awards in April 2024: EFL League One Player of the Season, inclusion in the EFL League One Team of the Season, and Peterborough United's Players' Player of the Year, recognizing his leadership and performances.[5][6][7] On 27 July 2024, Burrows transferred to Sheffield United for an undisclosed fee, signing a long-term contract.[1][8] In his debut 2024–25 Championship season, he became a consistent starter, featuring in 46 league matches, scoring six goals, and recording six assists while contributing to the team's promotion push.[9] As of the 2025–26 season, he continues to feature regularly for the Blades, with 14 appearances, one goal, and one assist by November 2025.[10] Overall, Burrows has accumulated over 246 senior appearances, 27 goals, and 44 assists in his career to date.[11] He has no senior international caps for England.[1]Early life and youth career
Early life
Harrison Burrows was born on 12 January 2002 in Murrow, a small village near Wisbech in Cambridgeshire, England.[4] Burrows began playing organized football at age four and a half, joining Wisbech St Mary's FC under coach John Rowe, where he quickly showed leadership by captaining teams.[12] He grew up in the rural Fenland area, where his family provided strong support for his early interests; his father, Chris Burrows, has been particularly vocal about his son's passion for the sport from infancy.[12] Burrows also has a brother, Josh, who plays semi-professional football for Bourne Town, having previously played for March Town FC (as of 2024).[12][13] From a very young age, Burrows displayed an intense interest in football, influenced by the local environment of Cambridgeshire and the encouragement from his family. His father recalls that "as soon as he could walk, he was kicking a football," with the family home featuring a large pitch that allowed for constant play and practice.[12] This informal exposure fostered his dedication to the game prior to any structured involvement, shaping his initial development in a supportive, community-oriented setting. Burrows has long been a dedicated supporter of Peterborough United, the club representing his local area. At the age of 12, he attended the 2014 EFL Trophy final at Wembley Stadium as a spectator alongside his father, an experience that highlighted his early fandom and aspirations within the sport.[12] At age six, he transitioned to the Peterborough United academy after attending a development centre.[4]Youth career
Burrows joined the Peterborough United academy in 2008 at the age of six, having first attended one of the club's development centres.[4][14][8] He progressed steadily through the academy's age-group teams, from U9 to U18 levels, demonstrating consistent performances that earned him a scholarship deal in the summer of 2017.[15][16] During this period, his early training emphasized development at left-back, focusing on fundamental skills such as positioning, tackling, and ball control under the guidance of academy coaches.[1][4] This progression culminated in Burrows signing his first professional contract with Peterborough United on 13 January 2019, coinciding with his 17th birthday and marking the transition from the youth phase to senior opportunities.[17][14]Club career
Peterborough United
Burrows made his senior debut for Peterborough United on 13 August 2019, coming on as a 75th-minute substitute in a 1–0 EFL Cup first-round defeat to Oxford United.[18][19] The 2020–21 season marked Burrows' breakthrough at the club, where he made 21 first-team appearances across all competitions as Peterborough secured promotion to the Championship via the League One play-offs.[20] In February 2021, he signed a contract extension until 2024, with an option for an additional year.[21] The following 2021–22 campaign saw him establish himself as a regular starter in the Championship, featuring in 37 league matches and contributing three goals and seven assists amid the team's ultimately unsuccessful battle against relegation.[22] After relegation, Burrows continued as a key player in League One during the 2022–23 season, providing defensive stability on the left flank while adding to his attacking output with assists from crosses and set-pieces. In the 2023–24 season, he was appointed club captain, becoming one of the youngest leaders in the English Football League at age 22.[23] Under his leadership, Peterborough reached the EFL Trophy final, where Burrows scored a dramatic brace—including the opener in the 85th minute and the winner in the 120th minute of extra time—to secure a 2–1 victory over Wycombe Wanderers at Wembley on 7 April 2024.[24][25] His set-piece deliveries proved crucial throughout the League One campaign, with notable goals from free-kicks and corners highlighting his versatility, alongside consistent defensive contributions that helped limit opposition attacks on Peterborough's left side.[26] Over his time at Peterborough, Burrows amassed 152 league appearances, scoring 14 goals and providing 30 assists, in addition to further contributions in cup competitions.[9] On 27 July 2024, he transferred to Championship side Sheffield United for an undisclosed fee reported as a club-record sale for Peterborough.[27][16]Sheffield United
On 27 July 2024, Harrison Burrows transferred to Sheffield United from Peterborough United, signing a four-year contract until the summer of 2028 for an undisclosed fee reported to be around £4 million plus add-ons.[27][8] Burrows integrated seamlessly into the squad during the 2024–25 EFL Championship season, becoming an immediate starter under manager Chris Wilder and featuring in 43 league matches, with 39 starts, while accumulating 5 goals and 3 assists overall in league play.[28] By January 2025, he had appeared in 24 fixtures, starting all but one, and demonstrated defensive reliability with strong tackling and duel-winning rates alongside his attacking contributions from the left-back position. His performances included notable goals from open play and set pieces, which earned him a place in the 2024–25 Championship Team of the Season.[29] These efforts provided key assists in Sheffield United's promotion push and highlighted his tactical versatility in transitioning from League One to the Championship level.[30] Entering the 2025–26 season, Burrows maintained his role as a consistent starter in Sheffield United's squad, making 14 Championship appearances by mid-November 2025, including 1 goal and 1 assist, while contributing to the team's defensive structure amid a challenging campaign.[28] In October 2025, he was praised for his quality in a comeback victory over Blackburn Rovers, underscoring his ongoing adaptation and leadership qualities honed from prior captaincy experience at Peterborough United.[31]Playing style
Technical skills
Harrison Burrows is renowned for his proficiency in crossing and delivering balls from the left flank, a skill that has been a cornerstone of his contributions in both League One and the Championship. During the 2023-2024 League One season with Peterborough United, he attempted 349 crosses over 43.6 ninety-minute equivalents, showcasing his willingness to provide width and service into the attacking third.[28] In the Championship, his crossing volume remained high, with 128 attempts in 2021-2022 and 213 in 2024-2025, while analysts have highlighted his crossing as a particular strength, enabling effective delivery to forwards.[28][32] Although specific accuracy percentages vary by match context, his overall delivery has been praised for precision in progressive areas, contributing to team build-up play.[33] Burrows demonstrates notable expertise in set-pieces, particularly as a taker of corners and free-kicks, where he has directly influenced scoring opportunities. In the 2024 EFL Trophy final, he scored the opening goal with a fierce low drive from outside the box after exchanging passes with a teammate, helping Peterborough secure a 2–1 victory over Wycombe Wanderers.[24] Across the 2024-2025 Championship season, he took 103 corner kicks, leading to several assists through well-placed deliveries that created chances for teammates.[28] His set-piece involvement extends to free-kicks, with a reported 83% overall pass success rate during his final League One campaign, including set-pieces, underscoring his reliability in these scenarios.[34] In terms of dribbling and one-on-one defending, Burrows has developed strong foundational skills through his progression from academy to senior levels, emphasizing jockeying and timing in defensive duels. Training footage and match analyses reveal his ability to execute successful dribbles at a 50% rate in recent outings, allowing him to evade pressure while maintaining possession on the flank.[3] His one-on-one defending focuses on disciplined positioning, honed in youth drills that prioritize reading attackers and committing tackles effectively, contributing to his overall defensive solidity without overcommitting. As a ball-playing left-back, Burrows exhibits comfort with both feet, facilitating versatile distribution in build-up phases. He is predominantly left-footed but utilizes his right effectively for short passes and switches, as evidenced by his three-star weak foot rating in professional assessments.[35] His progressive passing stands out, averaging 3.0 per 90 minutes in the 2021-2022 Championship season and 4.4 in the early 2025-2026 campaign, with a pass completion rate improving to 73.2% in higher divisions—demonstrating his role in advancing play from deep positions.[28]Tactical role
Harrison Burrows primarily operates as a left-back or left wing-back, roles in which he frequently inverts into central midfield during possession phases to generate numerical overloads against opposing defenses. This movement allows him to support build-up play from deeper positions, receiving the ball between the lines and facilitating progression through progressive passes or combination play with midfielders. At Peterborough United, this inverting tendency was a hallmark of his contributions in League One, where he helped create superiorities on the left flank, often transitioning fluidly from wide areas to more central zones.[34] Defensively, Burrows fulfills responsibilities in both back-four and three-at-the-back systems employed by his clubs, including tracking opposing wingers to prevent wide overloads and covering central spaces during transitions. His solid tackling (winning approximately 60% of attempts) and duel success (46.7%) as of the 2025–26 season enable him to maintain positional discipline without becoming a liability, even in high-pressing environments typical of Championship matches. At Sheffield United, he has adapted to these duties within a 4-2-3-1 setup, stepping up to support midfield coverage while holding the defensive line.[28][36][37][38] In attack, Burrows contributes through overlapping and underlapping runs that support wingers and stretch defenses, particularly in systems emphasizing width and direct progression. These movements, seen in his goal-scoring overlaps during the 2024-25 season, align with high-pressing styles by enabling quick recoveries and counter-pressing from advanced positions. His ability to drag markers out of position creates space for teammates, as demonstrated in playoff matches where he advanced high to exploit gaps.[39][38] Burrows' tactical evolution traces from a more traditional full-back role in Peterborough's youth setup, where he focused on basic positional duties, to a versatile modern inverter by the 2024-25 season at Sheffield United, incorporating advanced movement patterns honed through senior experience.[34]Career statistics
Club
Harrison Burrows has accumulated 247 club appearances, 27 goals, and 46 assists as of 13 November 2025, with the majority of his goals coming from set pieces such as free kicks and penalties.[40] His disciplinary record includes 19 yellow cards and no red cards.[28]Peterborough United
| Season | Competition | Apps | Goals | Assists | Minutes | Yellow Cards | Red Cards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019/20 | League One | 4 | 0 | 0 | 152 | 0 | 0 |
| FA Cup | 2 | 0 | 0 | 154 | 0 | 0 | |
| EFL Trophy | 3 | 0 | 0 | 258 | 0 | 0 | |
| EFL Cup | 1 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2020/21 | League One | 21 | 1 | 4 | 800 | 1 | 0 |
| EFL Trophy | 6 | 0 | 3 | 456 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2021/22 | Championship | 37 | 3 | 7 | 2,616 | 4 | 0 |
| FA Cup | 2 | 0 | 0 | 99 | 0 | 0 | |
| EFL Cup | 1 | 0 | 0 | 90 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2022/23 | League One | 41 | 4 | 4 | 2,662 | 3 | 0 |
| FA Cup | 3 | 0 | 1 | 215 | 0 | 0 | |
| EFL Trophy | 4 | 0 | 2 | 269 | 0 | 0 | |
| League One Play-offs | 2 | 0 | 1 | 135 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2023/24 | League One | 45 | 6 | 14 | 3,937 | 4 | 0 |
| FA Cup | 4 | 1 | 1 | 272 | 0 | 0 | |
| EFL Cup | 2 | 0 | 0 | 179 | 1 | 0 | |
| EFL Trophy | 5 | 5 | 1 | 434 | 3 | 0 | |
| League One Play-offs | 2 | 0 | 1 | 180 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 185 | 20 | 39 | 12,508 | 16 | 0 |
Sheffield United
| Season | Competition | Apps | Goals | Assists | Minutes | Yellow Cards | Red Cards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | Championship | 43 | 5 | 3 | 3,464 | 2 | 0 |
| FA Cup | 1 | 0 | 0 | 90 | 0 | 0 | |
| EFL Cup | 1 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 0 | |
| Championship Play-offs | 3 | 1 | 3 | 270 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2025/26 | Championship | 14 | 1 | 1 | 882 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 62 | 7 | 7 | 4,723 | 3 | 0 |
Career Totals
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 247 |
| Goals | 27 |
| Assists | 46 |
| Minutes Played | 17,231 |
| Yellow Cards | 19 |
| Red Cards | 0 |