Humble Sheffield United man buzzing for Championship chance after taking winding road to Bramall Lane
Humble Sheffield United man buzzing for Championship chance after taking winding road to Bramall Lane
He wouldn’t be legally able to buy a drink in his former home of Los Angeles until next January, but Tyler Bindon has already packed a lot into his 20 years on earth so far. The Sheffield United defender was born in New Zealand, moved to LAFC as a teenager and is now preparing for his first taste of the Championship at Bramall Lane.
“It can be very difficult,” the centre-half said of his nomadic experience so far, which brought him to United on a season-long loan deal from Nottingham Forest after reuniting with former boss Ruben Selles at Bramall Lane. “But because I was young and had football, that probably made it easier for me.
“The football industry does give you one common theme. You all speak one language, in a way, and that brings bonds from there. But it still brings challenges; small details that people probably don’t think about.
“But it’s brought me here and I can’t wait to get going. You always want to be promoted and with the group that we have, and the club we’re playing for, it’s important we push for promotion again. And get back to the Premier League where we belong.”
Unitedites will get their first glimpse of Bindon in tomorrow’s first pre-season friendly of the summer, away at York City, but the 6ft 3in defender has already left a positive impression on those who have encountered him so far.
A humble and polite individual, Bindon generously gave journalists, including from The Star, the time of day after a gruelling session on United’s pre-season camp in Girona last week but is less accomodating to opposition strikers, with a compilation of his time under Selles at Reading showing a series of crunching tackles and dominant aerial duels.
Tyler Bindon staying true to himself as Sheffield United man prepares for first Championship experience
“I’d say I’m calm on the ball and good aerially,” he added. “But the job primarily is to keep the ball out of the back of the net. If you can’t keep clean sheets then it’s a lot more difficult to win. It’s been great to get to know the players on and off the training pitch, live in each other’s pockets for a week. I feel ready.
“I am who I am, I don’t want to change and I want to be true to myself. That’s important. Honest, respectful. They’re important to me. That’s you as a person, if I don’t stay true to that then I find I struggle.”
The forthcoming season will be Bindon’s first experience of the Championship, with Selles describing him as the best defender in League One last term as he won the Royals’ player of the year award and was shortlisted for the divisional young player of the season gong.
He will compete with Anel Ahmedhodzic and Jack Robinson for a centre-half shirt while Selles may be tempted to dip into the transfer market again to strengthen that position if Ahmedhodzic - who is now in the final year of his Bramall Lane contract - is sold before September 1’s transfer window.
“Each game is a challenge,” Bindon said of the Championship, “and each team has their unique attributes. So I’m really looking forward to it.”