If you look down the Premier League you’ll see a host of names who came through the ranks at Sheffield United.
The world’s most expensive defender Harry Maguire is one, while serial winner Kyle Walker is another.
Two of the most prominent names, they’re now plying their trades at Manchester United and Manchester City.
However, there are further names. Che Adams at Southampton springs to mind, as do Aaron Ramsdale and David Brooks at Bournemouth. Another individual is Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
The conveyer belt of talent to come through the Blades’ down the years is significant.
What’s telling now, though, is that until Sander Berge arrived in January, Sheffield United hadn’t fielded a player below the age of 21 in the Premier League all season.
Dean Henderson, aged 22, had been the youngest, but even then he is not a permanent fixture at Bramall Lane.
Symbolic of the higher echelons Chris Wilder’s men now find themselves in, it didn’t feel appropriate to blood young talent. On top of that, they were now lacking in quality young players like Maguire and Walker to even bring through.
A flow to the first-team has been lacking in recent years, but there are signs starting to appear that it could drastically improve.
Plans are in place for a brand new training ground for Sheffield United, and with that, a new site for the academy to learn their trade will be developed.
According to The Athletic, Wilder has desires to upgrade the academy’s category 2 status into the most illustrious and renowned – category 1.
For 20 years they’ve been sitting in the second tier of academy structures but the increased wealth that a place in the Premier League has brought means they can finally upgrade.
This will be crucial to the Yorkshire club’s long-term development and plans now appear to be at an advanced stage after Prince Abdullah visited last month.
What’s crucial to discovering new rising stars, however, is finding a new site.
Currently blocked in by housing, they need to make room for a floodlit grass pitch, as well as an artificial playing surface. Furthermore, an indoor pitch, no smaller than 60 yards is required while a minimum of three classrooms are needed for a club to hold category 1 academy status.
It’s clear that huge investment is needed but with planning believed to be in their later stages, it may only be a matter of time before the Blades can begin to develop talent like Maguire and Walker again.
Calling Premier League experts ONLY: Which year were these top flight clubs formed?
Speaking about their misfortune with the academy, Wilder noted this week: “There’s been some (departures) we couldn’t do a lot about, Dominic, Che and Brooksy for instance. Where the club was at that particular moment, it was difficult to stand in their way. But one of the things that gives us hope is that they would have had a more difficult decision now because we’re in a more powerful position.”
A league placing of sixth, as well as new facilities, could very much bring the best out of the academy again. Although, much of whether it can shine will be owed to Jack Lester – the head of youth operations. An exciting future awaits not only for him but also for the club as a whole if things go well.
If they’re still in the Premier League, they may not have to sell their brightest prospects either. This is only the beginning for Sheffield United.
In other news, one Sheff Utd transfer target STARRED in Europe on Thursday…