Exclusive: Sheffield United now turn to India in search of investment

But chief executive Trevor Birch says the move is a significant step forward in a wider bid to find Indian investors willing to back the Blades.

"Such is the growth of the Indian economy that at some stage, it will play a more prominent role in world football," Birch told the Yorkshire Post. "The seeds are being sown by Sheffield United now so our name is well known in that region.

"The new relationship with the Tata Football Academy (TFA) is very important to us; we are lending them our expertise and being paid for our services but our name is out there and it gives us the opportunity to find talented young players for the future."

Wealthy Indian businessmen Mukesh Ambani and Subrata Roy were recently linked with a proposed takeover at Premier League club Liverpool while another, Ahsan Ali Syed, has been involved in talks with Blackburn Rovers.

The Blades are seeking a 'partner investor' to work alongside chairman Kevin McCabe – as opposed to a full takeover – and have been in protracted talks with an un-named Malaysian businessman.

Birch confirmed yesterday that these talks are still 'on-going' although an initial target of agreement this month has not materialised.

"It is not a problem," insisted Birch. "None of these things happen quickly as we can see from events at Liverpool. People need time to conduct due diligence and have to be comfortable with things. Other clubs can testify that there is no urgency in these matters at the moment. There does not seem to be a mad rush so you have to work hard to keep people talking."

Blades vice-president Ian Cameron, consultant and technical coach Ron Reid, and strength and fitness coach Barnaby Lord, have now returned from a nine-day stint in Jamshedpur where they worked closely with young players and coaching staff as part of the new three-year deal.

They analysed all aspects of the coaching offered at TFA and drew up a plan of action which focuses on technical and tactical programmes and strength and conditioning.

In addition, the Blades are now helping to develop TFA staff in planning and delivering coaching sessions at the academy.

A rival club from the Premier League had also shown an interest in setting up a similar deal but Tata opted for a partnership with the Blades because of the club's track record and international links.

"Our agreement means we will regularly visit the academy over the next three years to train the coaches and the young players at TFA," said Cameron. "TFA is a leading academy in India, recruiting the best players from around the country. We are delighted to be working with such a fine organisation."

Reid said: "This was the first stage of the introduction of a modern coaching programme with the aim of nurturing young footballers. We identified a lack of real structure so have developed a plan of action, identifying short and medium term goals."

Blades manager Gary Speed, meanwhile, is looking to sign a new striker on loan before this weekend's game with Burnley.

"There is no secret that we are looking for someone to put the ball in the net," said Speed. "But we have still got to keep creating chances and hope the players we already have can put them away.

"We have made some enquiries this week, so hopefully they will come to fruition, maybe before the weekend," he added. "You can't always legislate for circumstances. There aren't a lot of options out there but there are a few."