Sheffield United see Championship promotion rivals pip them to signing of Scott Twine

Sheffield United have missed out on the signing of Scott Twine as Burnley have confirmed his arrival from MK Dons. The 22-year-old was understood to be a target of Paul Heckingbottom’s but he has instead chosen to join Vincent Kompany in Lancashire.

While the fee for the attacking midfielder is officially undisclosed, it is understood to be in the region of £4m. Having sold Nick Pope to Newcastle for £10m, Burnley were better placed to meet the valuation set by MK Dons and the allure of a high-profile manager will have certainly been hard to ignore.

The Blades must now return to the drawing board as they look to fill the void left by Morgan Gibbs-White’s return to Wolves following the conclusion of his loan deal. Whilst not necessarily having the experience at a higher level, Twine would have been an ideal replacement.

Paul Heckingbottom's Sheffield United transfer wish ahead of Championship opener at Watford

He scored a staggering 20 goals and registered 13 assists from attacking midfielder for MK Dons who narrowly missed out on promotion. He was ultimately unable to help his side into the Championship as they were beaten 2-1 over two legs by Wycombe in the semi-final.

Having missed out on Twine, United may return to the Premier League market where a loan move for another promising midfielder might present itself. Otherwise, opting against largely financially-inflated English players might prove fruitful with plenty of unexplored talent available around Europe.