Blades youngsters offer ray of hope after season of woe at Bramall Lane

Adams is basing his verdict on the quality of the young players who have been thrust into the first-team spotlight over the last few weeks.

Defender Harry Maguire and striker Jordan Slew are members of the Under-18 team that have reached this season’s FA Youth Cup final yet both have looked equally at home in the hustle and bustle of the Championship.

Irish midfielder David McAllister, 22, announced his arrival on the first-team stage with a man-of-the-match display and a stunning goal in last weekend’s victory over Bristol City.

Defender Matthew Lowton, 21, has now come of age after stepping up from reserve team football to cover for the loss of senior professionals such as Chris Morgan, Johnny Ertl and Joe Mattock.

Others including on-loan Chelsea striker Danny Philliskirk, 20, and Norwegian winger Erik Tonne, 19, have shown glimpses of their potential from the bench.

For Adams, who hails from Sheffield and supported the club prior to his appointment this season as manager, the development of Bramall Lane’s young talent is now a top priority.

He knows only too well that his club can no longer invest heavily in the transfer market and will be relying on youngsters to bolster the side next season.

“The future will be bright for Sheffield United, no doubt about that,” he stressed. “We have a lot of decent youngsters coming through and – if they develop as we think they might – then they’ll have careers in the game.

“But we certainly don’t want to put any pressure on them,” he added. “Right now, they are unaffected by the season we have had and are showing no fear. They’ve got that enthusiasm. They want to go out there, run and impress, and show that they’re good players.

“Sometimes senior players forget what an honour it is to play football, sometimes senior pros get down in the mouth for the most ridiculous of reasons. You can’t get sentimental about your youngsters – but if they are good enough they’ll get their chance.”

The Blades have enjoyed an improvement in results this month following a decision to release five senior players and promote youth.

Maguire’s debut as substitute against high-flying Cardiff City could easily have turned into a baptism of fire. The two strikers in the Welsh side were both full internationals – Craig Bellamy and Jay Bothroyd – but the 6ft 3ins teenager stood up to the challenge and was justifiably delighted with his own display.

“When I tackled Bellamy in the corner he congratulated me when I was expecting some stick,” Maguire reflected. “I am used to playing against strikers who are a lot smaller than me but against Bothroyd (who is also 6ft 3ins), I thought I did okay. I am over the moon with how things are going but I want to kick on. I want to keep doing well for the youth team, hopefully win the FA Youth Cup, and at the same time get more opportunities in the first team.”

Whether the switch to youth should have been done sooner is open to debate – but the younger players have undoubtedly come in and thrived as expectation levels have dipped. They have also been allowed to play with a freedom that will not be afforded them at the start of next season.

The Blades can look back on a steady stream of youngsters over the last decade after investing around £4m in setting up a youth Academy at Shirecliffe which opened in 2001.

Defenders Kyle Walker and Kyle Naughton are among the success stories – graduating to the first team before being quickly sold to Tottenham Hotspur for £10m in 2009.

Defender Phil Jagielka and midfield duo Michael Tonge and Nick Montgomery burst onto the scene in 2000-2001 and Jagielka is now an England international with Everton. Tonge, now 28, is in the reserves at Stoke City while Montgomery, 29, has stayed at Bramall Lane and been a key figure for several seasons.

Blades supporters will be hoping that the club resists the temptation to sell youngsters again this summer although, depending on the success of the survival battle, there may be senior players wishing to be sold.

Under the guidance of Academy manager John Pemberton and development coach Mark Smith, the Blades have built a ‘development squad’ which has been boosted by the arrival of several young overseas players this season. Now, as the club hovers perilously over the trapdoor to League One football, these small investments could pay big dividends in the future.

McAllister arrived from Ireland with defender Seamus Conneely, winger Andras Gardos, 20, moved from Hungarian club Ferencvaros (who are owned by the Blades), while midfielders Kristoffer Lokberg and Tonne, both 19, were snapped up from Norwegian club Strindheim.

Australian left-back Marc Warren, 18, moved from another of the Blades’ feeder clubs Central Coast Mariners while goalkeeper Lawrence Thomas, 18, signed a short-term deal from Australian club Bankstown City Lions.

Chief executive Trevor Birch Birch always stressed that these deals were geared towards long-term success rather than boosting the fight for survival this season.

It may not stop the club’s slide towards relegation but no one can accuse the Blades of resting on their laurels when it comes to finding a way to bounce back.

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