Premier League experience key to Sheffield United's signing of Everton's Tom Davies, plus latest on Aston Villa striker

The 25-year-old joins on a free transfer and while Friday night’s Premier League appointment at Nottingham Forest comes a little too early for him, he is a player who brings a vast amount of experience of playing in the English top flight, something United are in need of.

Heckingbottom has not had the easiest of transfer windows as United reclaimed their place in the Premier League, losing star players Iliman Ndiaye to Marseille and Sander Berge to Burnley on the eve of the season, but Davies is a player he has been hoping to land for a while.

"I first spoke with Tom a long time ago. He’s always been there, hanging on wanting to come and play for us,” explained Heckingbottom.

"We’ve had our issues, but he’s been patient enough to wait and we’re glad to get that done.”

Davies has played 95 times for Everton, the majority in the Premier League, which was one of the factors that led to Heckingbottom targeting him.

"Tom was keen for a fresh start,” continued Heckingbottom.

"We know we’ve got a hungry player, one who has played all his minutes in the Premier League, so no team, occasion, venue is going to phase him.

"He’s keen to learn something new.

”He’s not replacing Sander, not replacing Iliman, we’re trying to add quality.

"He’s a physical player who can impact Premier League games with his physicality and work-rate.

"There’s areas of his game we’d love to push him on and improve him on, one would be arriving in the box and pushing up the pitch.”

On the question of how long it will be before Davies is available for first-team duties, Heckingbottom said: “He’s not been training, just keeping himself fit. It’s his first day today.

"He’s in our thoughts without a doubt, we just have to make sure get him fitter and fitter.

"We need to be exposing him to other types of football to get him up to speed as quick as possible.”

Davies, who has been with Everton since the age of 11, said of his move to Bramall Lane: “I'm made up to be here and can't wait to get started. It was time for me to go from the previous club to join Sheffield United and I'm really excited for it, I think it is a great project that the team have here and I'm full of enthusiasm and hunger to get going.

“The Premier League is the best league in the world so when Sheffield United came knocking I thought this was the place to be, playing against the best teams and the best players.

“I played here (Bramall Lane) twice during Covid, and I think that helped Everton, but I'm looking forward to getting on the pitch in front of the full crowd and showing the fans what I'm about.”

Aston Villa striker Cameron Archer is another player linked with the Blades but Heckingbottom would not comment on players at other clubs.

"You know my answer,” he said. “He's not our player, he's Villa's. Saw him play at Preston, again I know all about him.”