The striker would offer experience to a youthful side, but in-terms of on the pitch contributions, he would be nothing more than a backup player with the odd goal here and there. 

Even the most optimistic would doubt his ability to play week in, week out as his age. 

Fast forward to March, and McGoldrick has won League One Player of the Month for February, with six goals in six games throughout the month. 

The Irishman has 16 goals in 34 games in all competitions and has even been linked with a shock return to the Ireland squad for their World Cup play-off qualifier against Czechia. 

Watching McGoldrick play is a joy in itself, as he can often be seen running around the Oakwell pitch for 90 minutes like he’s 15 years younger. 

But the more you look into David McGoldrick, the more you realise his legs never went. 

He works vigorously to keep his body in check, and his fitness levels can be shown through the fact he has played three full matches for Barnsley in the space of seven days. 

McGoldrick’s career is full of hard work, and he didn’t even play in the Premier League until the age of 31, spending most of his time in the Championship for clubs such as Southampton, Nottingham Forest, Ipswich and Sheffield United. 

He scored 8 Premier League goals in 2020/21 for a relegated Sheffield United side, 22 league goals for Derby in League One in 2022/23 and 29 league goals for Notts County across two seasons in League Two. 

The striker was always going to have an impact for the Reds, even personally admitting there wasn’t much difference between England’s third and fourth tier. 

His football intelligence is incredible, always on the lookout for pockets of space he can operate. 

McGoldrick also likes to drift out to the left at times, having been given license to roam by Hourihane, where he can attempt to cut-in and whip the ball into the top right corner like the goal he scored away at Huddersfield. 

That goal instantly drew parallels to the one he scored for Notts County away at Bradford last season. 

He is also willing to put in the dirty work for an energetic Barnsley side, often tracking opposition players deep into his own half despite leading the line. 

It’s not just on the pitch where McGoldrick proves his worth, as he has been a reported influence on the entire Barnsley squad. 

Earlier in the season, he helped exciting young winger Reyes Cleary on attacking movement including how to get in behind more. 

The Irishman had to be patient for opportunities, as he was a backup to the now-departed Davis Keillor-Dunn earlier in the season. 

He had just two league goals before January, and McGoldrick himself admitted he went through a tough period and was motivated by some fans online suggesting his legs had gone. 

McGoldrick stepped up for Barnsley and more after the January window shut and Barnsley were left with just two senior strikers to tackle a gruelling schedule. 

The 38-year-old has shown no signs of slowing down either, and could be on course to hit 20 league goals by the end of the campaign. 

If Barnsley are to do anything with the remainder of their season, no doubt McGoldrick will be a central part to that. 

Should he decide to carry on next season, surely Barnsley must offer him a new deal due to the high levels he is currently performing it.