Auston Trusty’s first words after Sheffield United transfer from Arsenal confirmed

The USA international underwent a medical earlier this week before the finishing touches were put to the agreement, which will see Trusty achieve his boyhood dream of playing in the Premier League after spending last season on loan at United’s Championship rivals, Birmingham City.

United boss Paul Heckingbottom had been in the market for a left-sided centre-half for some time, after Jack O’Connell was forced to retire through injury earlier this season and former loanee Ciaran Clark returned to Newcastle before being released. Trusty, 24, will compete with Jack Robinson for the left centre-half spot and could make his debut this weekend in United’s final pre-season friendly against Stuttgart at Bramall Lane.

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“I am more than excited,” Trusty said “The opportunity to be here at this historic club, and an opportunity to play in the Premier League and show my ability, it is everything I could have ever dreamed of growing up as a kid. In Pennsylvania, this was a dream - almost an impossible dream but I believed in myself and the opportunity has come around, it is everything that I dreamed for.

“It is crazy how quick things happen in football. I have just come back from a US tour with Arsenal and a couple of days later I am sitting here doing this interview. Things did happen very quick, but that’s how football works. I was really looking for an opportunity so as soon as it came about, things and details were ironed out. I am here, I wasn’t wasting any time. Everything is coming to fruition for me. I am in the right place at the right time and in the right mindset. Everything has come together how I dreamed it.”

United will now step up their recruitment drive in other areas, with Heckingbottom keen for midfield reinforcements and more attacking options after Iliman Ndiaye’s departure to Marseille earlier this week.

Heckingbottom is wary that after losing a large number of players over the summer, either by choice or loanees returning to their parent clubs, United are “way short” of where they were last season, even before Ndiaye’s move to Marseille. Billy Sharp and Enda Stevens joined O’Connell in being released while Clark, Tommy Doyle and James McAtee returned to their parent clubs, after Reda Khadra’s loan was cut short in January.

“Everyone can see we are short,” Heckingbottom told The Star. “We are way short. Even if you look at this time last year we have a couple of long-term injuries who were fit last year in Rhys and Rhian, so we haven’t got them. We lost Bill and Enda, Reda, Ciaran, Macca, Tommy. They have all gone, and we have brought three in. We still need five to be anywhere near where we were in the Championship.”