How all of Sheffield United’s loanees are doing away from Bramall Lane
With several Sheffield United players currently out on loan - here’s all you need to know on the young talents gaining experience away from The Lane.
Louie Marsh: Chesterfield (AM/ST)
The 22-year-old is loving life down in Chesterfield, scoring seven goals so far, making him the top goal-scorer for his side. He’s also contributed two assists in 15 appearances in all competitions. The attacking midfielder told the Football League Paper last month that he’d ‘never felt this kind of confidence’ but unfortunately hasn’t netted for the Spireites since the interview. Marsh regularly starts League Two games for Paul Cook’s side. Chesterfield currently sit 10th in the table, only one point from the play-off spots, but four other sides have also taken 19 points at this stage.
Alex Matos: Goztepe (CDM)
Since scoring three minutes into his debut against Samsunspor, Matos has struggled to establish himself as a starter in Turkey. He’s only made three further starts after his promising start, mounting to a total of eight appearances so far. The 22-year-old is currently acting as a fringe player, playing minimal minutes in the latter stages of the game. The last time he was named in the starting eleven was September 20, and he is yet to play a full 90 minutes under Stanimir Stoilov. He’s played a combined total of 28 minutes in the last five games, and wasn’t even named in the matchday squad for two of those fixtures. The former Chelsea man will need a dramatic turnaround if he wants to be part of the Sheffield United project.
Jili Buyabu: Rotherham (LB)
What started off as a decent loan spell at the Millers quickly took a turn after Buyabu got sent off four minutes into the game against Swindon Town for elbowing an opponent. When you read something like that in regard to a football player, you would probably assume it was an aftermath of a physical challenge during a high-stakes affair; you wouldn’t expect it to occur off the ball, in the opening five minutes of a standard League Two match. There was debate as to whether the left-back would ever put on a Rotherham shirt again, after Millers boss Alex Bruce called his strike to his opponent ‘an act of stupidity’ before telling him to make himself scarce from the training ground for a few days. His side consequently lost the game 2-1, and he hasn’t featured for Bruce’s side since, as he’s currently serving a three-game suspension. When questioned on what the future held for the United loanee, the Rotherham boss admitted he was short on players and knew ‘what he was capable of’, hinting at a potential return for Buyabu.
Sam Curtis: Cambridge United (RB)
Curtis has endured a frustrating start to his loan at Cambridge, with opportunities in the first team proving relatively limited. The full-back made his debut against Reading in a five-minute cameo back in September, and has only started three games since then, with one of his starts seeing him play as a centre-half. He’s suffered from a lack of consistent opportunities and is yet to find a rhythm down South, indicating his minutes on the pitch haven’t exactly ‘wowed’ Cambridge boss Neil Harris.
Nils Zätterström: Raków Częstochowa (CB)
The Swedish defender is another loanee who’s struggled to make an impact during his time away from the Blades, playing a total of two minutes in Poland, and even that came from two separate appearances. There was a managerial change underway during Zatterstrom’s period of adjustment, and the new manager doesn’t seem to be in favour of the 21-year-old. With minutes that barely surpass zero, United will surely be looking to relocate him in January.
Mihail Polendakov: Ludogorets Razgrad (RB)
The right-back has only made a couple of appearances for the Bulgarian side while playing in his home country. Those two have brought a grand total of 115 minutes of top-flight football, alongside 231 minutes for Ludogorets II. The 19-year-old will need to put in some graft if he’s serious about enjoying a future at Bramall Lane.
Ehije Ukaki: Botev Plovdiv (RW/RB)
The Nigerian has returned to Botev Plovdiv in Bulgaria, the club he joined Sheffield United from in June 2025. Despite playing as a right winger for United on the few occasions he did feature for the South Yorkshire club, his only minutes this campaign have come as a right-back.
Luke Faxon: Boston United (GK)
The young shot-stopper has only played in the National League Cup, which totals 360 minutes. He most recently secured a clean sheet against Leicester under 21s, but had conceded six in Boston’s defeat to Southampton’s under 21s 6-5, which, in fairness, means 60% of the goals that he’s conceded came against the Saints alone.
Sai Sachdev: Boston United (RB)
The 21-year-old is enjoying a much more productive loan spell than teammate Faxon. He’s featured in 15 out of the 16 National League matches so far, starting 11 of them. He also scored in the 6-5 defeat to Southampton’s under-21 to mark his first Boston goal. He is one of the few players on this list to surpass the 1,000-minute mark, hitting 1,115.