Motherwell have sold Ben Heneghan to Sheffield United for an undisclosed fee.
The central midfielder joined Motherwell in June 2016 on a two year deal when he was out of contract at Chester. He served us well for a season and joins the Blues with the best wishes of all at Fir Park.
Good luck Ben
Heneghan built a solid partnership with McManus last season and he will owe a debt to the mature defender for his development. The 23 year old became a target of several clubs when it was revealed that he had declined to extend his contract beyond 2018.
The move is a good piece of business for the Steelmen. The transformation of a Conference player, via a year in the Scottish Premiership, to the English Championship helps to secure the finances of the fan-owned club and paves the way for a couple of imports.
Stephen Robinson is quoted on the MFC website saying, “It’s a very good piece of business for the football club both now and potentially in the future and we’ve got an experience replacement lined up." That suggests another decent sell-on deal is in place.
There are reports that 22 year old Liam Grimshaw could be one of the two likely recruits. The midfielder had a loan spell at Fir Park in the first half of the 2015/16 season but was recalled to Manchester United. He joined Preston North End and was contracted with them until June 2018. He has been on loan at Chesterfield since January.
Earlier in the day the transfer of Marvin Johnson from Oxford to Middlesbrough triggered a sell-on clause that will provide another cash boost (at least £500k) to Motherwell.