Paul Heckingbottom makes big claim regarding youngster at Sheffield United

Ollie Arblaster was on the bench for the first time for Sheffield United in Saturday’s 4-1 defeat at Coventry City.

The 17-year-old, who spent time on loan at Bradford Park Avenue earlier on this season, was an unused substitute at the CBS Arena but would have gained some valuable experience for it.

Paul Heckingbottom’s work with the Blades’ U23 side was a huge contributing factor in appointing him as Slavisa Jokanovic’s replacement.

Enabling the club to cut costs in the harsh transition after relegation from the Premier League, by integrating players from the club’s youth setup rather than splashing the cash in transfer windows.

Heckingbottom showed his confidence in Arblaster’s ability when he spoke to the Sheffield Star.

He said: “In terms of Ollie, I can definitely see him playing in Sheffield United’s first team.

“He can handle the ball well, he reads situations and he’s got the brains of a man.

“But you’ve still got to remember, despite all of that, he’s still a boy.

“And we need people, ideally, who have been in this situation before out there on the pitch.”

Kellan Gordan, Femi Seriki and Iliman Ndiaye have all demonstrated that the pathway is accessible to the first team this season and Ollie Arblaster will be hoping to follow in their footsteps.

The Verdict

There is a lot of competition for places in central midfield and the chances are that Arblaster will not see any first team minutes this season, but it is a credit to Heckingbottom that he is not afraid to throw some of the younger players in at the deep end.

Even seeing how the squad reacted to such a disappointing result at Coventry will have been a new environment for Arblaster to be exposed to, which should better prepare him for when the time comes that