Ivo Grbic is my 'number one' insists Chris Wilder after Croatian goalkeeper lets in five goals on his Sheffield United debut versus Brighton

After completing his £2m signing from Atletico Madrid on Friday, the Croatian was preferred to Wes Foderingham in goal and handed his bow in the FA Cup tie against Brighton and Hove Albion.

Grbic picked the ball out of his net on five occasions and should have done better with the visitors’ final goal of the game from Danny Welbeck.

After the game, Wilder handed him a show of immediate support.

The Blades chief, whose side visit Crystal Palace for a key fixture in the Premier League on Tuesday evening, said: “He’s going to be our (first-choice) goalkeeper for the foreseeable future.

"We have signed him on a long-term deal and have confidence that it’s a good decision that we have got our own goalkeeper.

"The deal is a really good one and the boy wanted to come. He’s got a good pedigree and will get better.

"I made that decision (to start him) and have to take responsibility for that.

"As you all know, Jack O’Connell wouldn’t have had the career he had, if people had made that decision on him after three or four games.

"It’s a tough one for him (Grbic) to take, as he will have wanted to get off to a good start personally and it looks as if he hasn’t.

"But there’s more to come from him and he’ll be better - and we will be better - with him playing at the highest level.

"He’s number one. The other three goalkeepers are out of contract and I had to sort that situation out.

"It’s an opportunity that came up to sign an established goalkeeper who wanted to come and play in the Premier League who has got a good CV, who Matt Duke has looked an awful lot at and contacts (say) he will be an asset going forward.

"The fee was a great one for someone coming out of contract at the end of the season.

"The boy wanted to come over and comes in as number one. It was a great opportunity and one we took and he’ll be the number one from here on in.”

After bringing in Grbic and young Irish right-back Sam Curtis, Wilder is likely to intensify his efforts to bring in a right-sided centre-half ahead of Thursday night’s transfer deadline with John Egan and Chris Basham sidelined with long-term injuries.