Sheffield United boss's Cameron Archer verdict as Aston Villa return clause clarified

Cameron Archer remains 100 per cent committed to scoring the goals to fire Sheffield United to safety this season, Chris Wilder has insisted, despite the possibility of a return to Aston Villa this summer. The England U21 international faces his boyhood club this weekend for the second time since his summer move to Bramall Lane.

His first was certainly memorable, scoring what looked like the winner for United at Villa Park before a late equaliser broke Blades hearts before Christmas, and the 22-year-old is expected to feature against Unai Emery's side again on Saturday evening with Rhian Brewster serving the final game of his three-match suspension.

Archer has shown glimpses of the form that earmarked him as one of the brightest young strikers in English football last season at Middlesbrough since arriving at Bramall Lane, with key strikes against Everton and Wolves, as well as in the Midlands, earning United points. But he has also showed some moments of rawness and inexperience too at key times, although Wilder has been impressed with his attitude and eagerness to improve.

"They're all open. They're all good players and they're open to work with the coaches or myself," the United manager said. "Looking at their game and trying to improve in every way. Whether on the training ground or the video analysis room or on matchdays as well.

"We want to win, we want the group to grow and be better and individually we want to make the players better players, through different times. You have to have two things; the acceptance that the player wants to try and learn, which Cam does, and all of them do, and then that we will put that time in and that effort in to move them forward and improve them."

The usual emotions of Archer facing his boyhood club are complicated by the unique clause in his deal, which means Villa are obligated to buy him back if United are relegated from the Premier League this season. The mechanics of the deal mean that, if they are relegated, United will have effectively paid Villa a decent loan fee for Archer while Emery's employers will still have the option to buy Archer back if United do survive, just for a higher price.

Despite that possibility, Wilder has no concerns about where Archer's priorities lie. "No. And if I did, then we'd be talking to him," the Blades boss insisted. "You've got to be fully committed, you've got to be all-in. It's one of the things we talked about. Whether there's speculation with Anel [Ahmedhodzic] or with different things, all the noise that happens and surrounds football, you've got to make sure you're all in and committed, 100 per cent.

"For you personally and your teammates and your football club. There's all different characters in there and Cam's a quieter character, but he's a bright boy and he's a smart guy as well. So he'll know he has to play well, to progress his career. Whether that's here or anywhere else.