Sheffield United: Grassroots plan revealed as manager looks to follow Chelsea's lead

After discovering Iliman Ndiaye playing in non-league football and polishing a number of other diamonds they have unearthed within the amateur and semi-professional games, Sheffield United have been urged to invest even more time and money into their scouting programme at grassroots level.
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Confirming that legislation introduced following Brexit has “shrunk” the pool of players he can legitimately hope to attract from overseas, United manager Paul Heckingbottom acknowledges the lower reaches of England’s footballing pyramid could become an even more important hunting ground for his employers in the not so distant future. With that in mind - and given their previous successes in this field - Heckingbottom has told The Star he would welcome moves to award those monitoring them on United’s behalf greater resources and assistance. His admission comes after it emerged Chelsea, the two time European champions and one of the richest clubs in the country, have established a specific department within their academy to scour competitions such as the National and Southern leagues.

“We are always looking,” Heckingbottom explained, when asked if United could take a similar step. “It takes money to do that (something specific). But it’s an area we’ve looked at, definitely, and will continue to do so. It’s an area where I feel we need even more resources.”

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Three years after joining United from Boreham Wood, Ndiaye is now one of the most talked about players outside of the Premier League after being named in the Senegal squad which travelled to the World Cup in Qatar earlier this month. Ndiaye, who is thought to have cost somewhere between £40,000 and £50,000 after being recommended to officials at Bramall Lane by an agent, is now valued by some independent observers within the sport at more than £30m having scored nine times in only 21 appearances for Heckingbottom’s team this term. His partnership with Oli McBurnie, who recently underwent surgery to repair a hernia, has been a driving force behind United’s climb to second in the Championship table; three points behind leaders Burnley and two above third placed Blackburn Rovers.

Although Ndiaye’s rapid progress on the pitch, coupled with his contractual situation off it, has seen him dominate the spotlight in recent months, the French born attacker is not the only player on United’s payroll to complete a similar journey.

According to Heckingbottom, Sai Sachdev was taking part in “park football” in his native Leicestershire before being granted a place on United’s academy programme. Nearly two months ago, the right-back made his senior debut towards the end of their trip to Stoke City before also being named on the bench for the win over Cardiff City; United’s final outing before the domestic schedule was placed on hold to accommodate the tournament in the Middle East.

“He’s strong and athletic, he’s done himself no harm at all,” Heckingbottom noted at the time, charting Sachdev’s progress. “He was playing at grassroots level, he’s come straight out of there to us, so it shows there are players (to be found) at that level.”

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Talent spotters from Chelsea, who like United boast one of the most productive youth systems in the country, have become increasingly conspicuous figures at non-league grounds of late after seeing several youngsters opt to explore opportunities elsewhere following the UK’s exit from the European Union. Reports suggest that officials at Stamford Bridge have now opted to build a dedicated department, exclusively focused on this area of the sport, in order to consolidate their reputation as one of ‘go to’ destinations for up and coming youngsters. Despite not possessing category one academy status, United are held in equally high esteem by many within the development community with three of their alumni - Aaron Ramsdale, Kyle Walker and Harry Maguire - on duty with England in the Middle East.

Sai Sachdev of Sheffield United: Simon Bellis/SportimageSai Sachdev of Sheffield United: Simon Bellis/Sportimage
Sai Sachdev of Sheffield United: Simon Bellis/Sportimage

Although the financial constraints they are operating under will prevent United from taking the same step as Chelsea, Heckingbottom, who initially joined them as under-21’s lead coach before taking charge of the first team a year ago, said: “When people come here, they know they are going to get opportunities if they do well and show the commitment that you need to make a success of yourself at this level. I can’t think of many other clubs who give the same number of chances, who are willing to promote from within, as we do. Not because we give favours. We don’t. But because we have belief in what’s happening and think, if you do well, then you deserve a shot at it.”

Despite not possessing Chelsea’s wealth, United’s efforts to increase their profile in non-league circles could be boosted by the fact their renowned head of recruitment, Paul Mitchell, used to work at that level while captain Billy Sharp and midfielder Ben Osborn have both established their own independent development operations. That knowledge, combined with Steve Holmes’ expertise at youth level, could open up fresh avenues for them to explore in future. Former academy manager Travis Binnion, who now works for Manchester United, credited Holmes with “banging on” about the need to sign Ndiaye after being impressed by his potential. Ndiaye, whose prowess was also immediately recognised by members of the senior coaching staff and recruitment departments, spent time being acclimisitsed to a first team environment by Heckingbottom’s predecessor Chris Wilder and his associates – having also petitioned for him to come on board.

“There are always players there, sometimes people just need that bit of help to show what they can do,” said Heckingbottom. “It’s an area that, as you know, we’ve worked in and done well from previously and so we’ll continue to do that. It’s definitely something that I would support. But we’ll look anywhere and everywhere. That’s also important.”