Alfie Gilchrist drops Sheffield United future hint with popular Chelsea starlet loving Bramall Lane life

Alfie Gilchrist, the Chelsea loanee impressing on loan at Sheffield United in the Championship this season, appears to be keeping an open mind about his future as he puts full focus on the Blades’ quest to return to the Premier League. The 20-year-old joined the Blades in his first senior loan deal in the summer and has caught the eye of Unitedites with his full-blooded displays.

Gilchrist’s sheer love of defending makes it easy to see where comparisons with Chelsea legend John Terry originate, with the former Stamford Bridge skipper and now academy mentor keeping a close eye on Gilchrist’s progress. But he remains a long way down the pecking order at his parent club and if United achieve their goals this season, after their superb start, then some Premier League exposure at Bramall Lane could be a satisfactory solution for all parties.

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“As soon as I heard about Sheffield United, that’s all I was interested in,” said Gilchrist, speaking to Mail+. “I wanted to get here as soon as possible. I’d been here last season when I was on the bench [in a 2-2 draw at home to Chelsea.] I saw the atmosphere and thought this was somewhere I’d like to play. I watched them when they were in the Premier League and I really liked the way they played when they had overlapping centre backs.

“I spoke to the manager, and it was a perfect opportunity for me to show what I can do. It was just the next step for me, you know? There was a big squad at Chelsea, I wanted to play this season, and this is what I needed to do for myself. So far, it’s worked out to be the right decision. I feel like I’m progressing with every game. I’m happy here. Promotion is the aim for us and then next season, we’ll see what happens.”

Key to Gilchrist’s success has been his complete buy-in to United, rather than acting like a loan player with one eye on his future with his parent club. That attitude has helped foster a strong bond between United’s players which has helped them recover from a disastrous Premier League experience last season to take more points than any other Championship side going into the current international break.

“Everyone is the same, one of his players,” Gilchrist, who started the recent Sheffield derby win over Wednesday before making way at the break, added. “You soon realise the importance of every game to the club and to the fans, especially here in Sheffield. [The derby] was big. I had people coming up to me in the street or when I was doing my shopping, saying: ‘You know this is a big game? You have to do this. You have to do that.’ You could feel it, the atmosphere rising towards that game. It was a special day.”

Hopefully just one of many more to come over the next few months.