Wright eager to push Simonsen all the way for starting place

Wright, 32, has joined the Blades on a four-month deal and will start on the bench for this weekend's Yorkshire derby against Leeds United at Elland Road.

His arrival, however, will put added pressure on first-choice goalkeeper Steve Simonsen – who also lost his place to Wright at Everton eight years ago.

"My aim is to play football, simple as that," he said. "I am going to work as hard as I possibly can; I am certainly not here to spend the next four months just being part of the club.

"'Simmo' knows that I will be breathing down his neck and I want that shirt," he added. "It's only a short-term deal but this is a challenge I am looking forward to."

Released by Ipswich Town in the summer, Wright has endured a barren seven years after initially bursting onto the scene and securing big money moves to Arsenal and Everton.

A combination of injuries and inconsistency have made it tough for him to command first-team football and, after winning two England caps, he has been a stranger to the international scene since 2003.

"Obviously, I have been frustrated at not playing enough football," he admitted. "I have been at some clubs where I felt I should have been playing but it's not been quite right. I don't want to get worried about this or that now I just want to play football."

Wright has been training with Crystal Palace and the San Jose Earthquakes this season and was also linked with a possible move to Hull City. He started training with the Blades last week and was due to make his first competitive appearance in last night's reserve team game against Sheffield Wednesday.

"I was hoping for a deal sooner rather than later but it's been a really slow summer with not many people moving," he reflected. "In football, with goalkeepers, it's like a merry-go-round and when one moves there is a knock-on effect.

"I spoke to Hull and I know Mark Prudhoe, the club's goalkeeping coach, but I came up here for a look around last Thursday and Friday, I joined in, and I saw what a great club it is.

"Everyone I know speaks very positively about Gary Speed and it was great to see how the lads reacted to him during my first two days in training. The team had just been beaten 4-0 (against Scunthorpe) but I would never have believed that because there was a great spirit. By all accounts, we didn't play as well as we could have (against Portsmouth) but got the result and that's the sign of a good team."

Wright made a complete recovery from the knee injury which sidelined him for four months last season but was still disappointed to be released by Ipswich, his home-town club.

Looking to the future, he said: "If you play regularly and play well, you never know what is around the corner. I want to work hard and try and get in the first team. For me it is all about taking it one step at time."

Captain Chris Morgan will miss this weekend's trip to Leeds after being ruled out for a fortnight by a hamstring injury.

Morgan limped off during the home win over Portsmouth five days ago but scans have revealed that the injury is not as bad as initially feared.

"Obviously it is a big blow to lose him but the bonus is that it is not as bad as we first feared and that he is not looking at too long on the sidelines," said manager Speed.

In Morgan's absence, loan signings Nyron Nosworthy and Kyle Bartley are likely to play as centre-backs for the Blades at Elland Road.