Oli Arblaster living the Sheffield United dream with U9s partnership set to be resurrected in Premier League

When, as seems inevitable, Oliver Arblaster gets the chance to make his Premier League debut this season, he may take a moment to look across at teammate Andre Brooks and smile at how far the pair have come. Members of the same Sheffield United U9 age group, both are now part of the senior Blades squad for the second half of this top-flight campaign.

Both have taken slightly different routes to get there, Brooks seizing his surprise chance after Chris Wilder's return in December and Arblaster enhancing his growing reputation with an impressive six months in League One with Port Vale. But the journey has enhanced both the 20-year-olds as both players and people, with the next step for United ensuring that Arblaster follows the lead of young teammates Brooks and Antwoine Hackford in committing his future to Bramall Lane via a new long-term contract.

Arblaster, a boyhood Blade who used to have a season-ticket with Brooks on the Kop and later a ball-boy once pictured celebrating a goal with scorer and future teammate Billy Sharp, enjoyed a close relationship with Vale fans during his six-month loan spell in the third tier and is now keen to forge similar with the Blades after returning to Bramall Lane.

"Obviously I want to have that connection with the Sheff United fans," said Arblaster, speaking to SUTV ahead of this weekend's trip to Luton Town. "Being a Sheff United fan myself I know what the fans want and how the fans view it. I'll give 100 per cent and leave everything out there for the badge and hopefully my quality will come through, and we have very good memories.

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When I joined at under eight or whatever it was, you never really think: 'Oh I’m going to go on and get into the first team with these other people who are also Sheff United fans'. Me and Andre have been playing with each other since we were in the under nines and we’ve come through all the way together. It's special when you can see that and being in and around the first team together, it really does make you feel quite proud about it."

Arblaster has played five times for his boyhood club at senior level and his vantage point at United games is now vastly different to those early days after being integrated back into the first-team squad. "I used to sit on the Kop and I enjoyed going home and away," the England youth international said. "To be fair I still do go to away games when I can. I'm obviously sat with the team but it’s good.

"I understand everything as a fan and how they support the team is really good for us as players. My dream and what I wanted from being a kid was to play for Sheff United and to come through with a couple of my teammates, since I was about 10, is obviously amazing. Hopefully me, Andre and Antwoine can share the pitch for Sheff United for a long time to come."