Born in Chesterfield, impressed Guti and an £150,000 bounty on his head at 15 - who is Zak Brunt, the latest Sheffield United starlet?

Zak Brunt, the Chesterfield-born youngster, has again been included in the Sheffield United squad for tonight's crunch Premier League clash against West Brom.
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With no new players signed in January, Blades boss Chris Wilder's squad has been further depleted by injuries - leading to Brunt and fellow youngster Iliman Ndiaye being named on the bench for tonight's game against the second-bottom Baggies at Bramall Lane.

Born in November 2001, Brunt has started eight games for the Blades' U23s this season and has registered five goals.

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He has been involved in the squad before, making the bench for the Carabao Cup game at Burnley in September.

And for a player born just down the road from United, his route to Bramall Lane was a complex one - as detailed in the journalist Michael Calvin's book, No Hunger in Paradise.

Sheffield United v West Brom: Build up, team news and updates from crunch Bramall Lane clash

Brunt trained with United when he was a youngster, but after spells at clubs such as Aston Villa, Manchester City and Manchester United, Brunt and his father Glen grew disillusioned with the English youth set-up and flew to Spain.

There he caught the eye of Atletico Madrid - and the former Real Madrid star Guti - but was unable to sign for Atleti because of Fifa red tape.

Zak Brunt of Sheffield United: Simon Bellis/SportimageZak Brunt of Sheffield United: Simon Bellis/Sportimage
Zak Brunt of Sheffield United: Simon Bellis/Sportimage
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He returned home and signed for Derby County, who placed a £120,000 bounty on his head with other clubs interested.

"Unless you're the next Cristiano Ronaldo, clubs don't want to pay £120,000 for a 15-year-old," Brunt said at the time. So he dropped into semi-professional football with Matlock Town, before signing for the Blades and penning a professional deal at Bramall Lane last year.

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