Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder was delighted to hand Ben Brereton Diaz a debut.
The loan signing from Villarreal was a second-half substitute in the 4-0 FA Cup win at Gillingham.
Wilder said: "He wanted to come. That was one of the biggest things for me.
"I want players to want to come here. It's been a whirlwind week. He's been flying back and forth from Spain. To get him on the pitch was good.
"It's been a very productive afternoon for us."