Exclusive: Battling Blades sure to survive the drop, says Naughton

KYLE NAUGHTON has tipped former club Sheffield United to avoid the drop.

The England Under-21 international defender returned to Bramall Lane for the first time as an opposition player on Tuesday night and helped Leicester City push the Blades into the Championship relegation zone.

But Naughton, sold for a club record 7m two summers ago, was so impressed by the Blades' fighting spirit that he is confident relegation will not be on the agenda this season.

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Speaking to the Yorkshire Post, Sheffield-born Naughton said: "I will always be a Sheffield United fan and I hope that Leicester will win promotion and United stay up. But if that performance against us is anything to go by, United will definitely stay up."

Naughton, 22, is on loan at Leicester until the end of the season from Tottenham Hotspur.

Although he spent the majority of last season on loan at Middlesbrough, he had not been back to Bramall Lane prior to Tuesday night's game where a solitary goal from Andy King secured Leicester victory.

The Blades have still to win in six games under new manager Micky Adams and have won only one of their last 11 games in all competitions.

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Despite the result, Naughton admitted that the Blades had been unlucky losers and felt the style of play employed by Adams would pay dividends over the final few months of the campaign.

"There have been about seven different managers since I left the club but they are now playing the same type of football that took us so far in the past," he said. "It's hard to play against any team when they are so in your face. We knew it was going to be a scrap and we had to roll up our sleeves.

"At Leicester, we are a team that likes to get the ball down and pass through midfield up to the strikers but Sheffield United just didn't stop running for 90 minutes. Any ime you have the ball at your feet, they close you down as a pack.

"Up to now, I would say that was one of the hardest games I have played in this season because they just don't give you a second to breathe. A lot of teams will crumble under that sort of pressure so United will win a lot of games."

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Reflecting on his first return to his home-town club, Naughton said: "It was strange to go into the visitors' dressing room – but it was nice to get the ovation I got from the fans. When I was a kid, I used to live on Parkhill which is only five or 10 minutes away from the ground.

"We used to go up there and play football on a Saturday afternoon and we always knew when United had scored because we could hear the sound of the crowd. All my family and friends were at the game and I was staying at my mum's. It was special to come back because, for me, this is where it all started."

Defender Kyle Walker, who was also sold to Tottenham in the wake of the club's 2009 Wembley play-off final defeat, recently moved to Aston Villa on loan after a spell under former Blades manager Neil Warnock at QPR.

Both have been tipped for full international honours and Naughton said: "It would be nice to play for England but I am not looking that far ahead. Just now, I am keeping my head down and trying to play in the Premier League. Promotion is the goal for Leicester, we are on a good run, and I don't see why we can't get into the play-offs."

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Blades manager Adams is staying positive. With games this month against Scunthorpe, Crystal Palace and, this weekend, Ipswich, Adams has highlighted the opportunity to take points from other clubs in the relegation scrap.

"We have dropped into the bottom three and it is how we react that is important," he said. "I think we are making strides."

Joe Mattock will be out for several weeks after damaging knee and ankle ligaments against Leicester.

back at the lane: Kyle Naughton, right, grapples with Blades striker Ched Evans.