Sheffield United boss answers Cameron Archer question amid transfer admission

Archer is a long-time target of the Blades, who tried to bring him in back in January to help boost their promotion push but were hindered by budget restrictions. He instead joined their promotion rivals Middlesbrough and scored 11 times in 20 league games, following up his good form with two goals in England’s U21 Euros victory earlier this summer.

The 21-year-old reappeared on United’s radar this summer after Villa reportedly sanctioned his exit, with boss Heckingbottom keen to add more firepower to his squad to aid their Premier League survival bid. A number of Championship clubs are keen to sign him on loan but United hope the promise of top-flight football could tip the balance in their favour if they submit an official bid.

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Asked about Archer ahead of Friday night’s trip to Nottingham Forest, Heckingbottom - notoriously coy about discussing transfer targets in the media - smiled: “You know my answer. He’s not our player, he’s Villa’s. In terms of him as a player, I know all about him. I saw him play at Preston as well and yeah, I know all about him.”

United have until 11pm on September 1 to do their business for the first half of the season and although he doesn’t want it to, Heckingbottom is fully prepared for his transfer search to go right down to the wire. United’s two domestic loan slots are still free, while their only international temporary transfer so far has been Yasser Larouci from French Ligue 2 club Troyes.

“That’s what we’re prepared for,” Heckingbottom admitted. “Even with the international loans but certainly for the domestic ones. The fact we're in the Premier League and have good players in the building and want to improve on that, means we want the best possible loans.

“And the fact we’re looking at the top end of the pitch, teams are reluctant to let those players go. We’re looking for a good calibre of player so they're going to be in people's squads until they're released, whenever that may be. We’re resigned to the fact it was probably going to be that way.”