Sheffield United new boy Anel Ahmedhodzic makes a big claim about Blades

The 23-year-old, who has been capped by both Sweden and Bosnia and Herzegovina at senior international level, joined up with his new teammates at their Lisbon training base earlier this week after putting pen to paper on a deal initially running until the summer of 2026.

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United paid an undisclosed sum, thought to be around £3m with add-ons, for the services of Ahmedhodžić, who can play anywhere along the back three and also operate in defensive midfield.

He joined in with United training in the searing Portuguese heat when the paperwork officially went through and admitted: "It's good to see the work being done on the training pitch.

"I've seen it on the TV but it's different, seeing the quality we have up close on the pitch. We should be ready for, and expecting, big things this season.

"I spoke a lot with Paul Heckingbottom before the move. For me, it was a clear choice, because this is a team that belongs in the Premier League.

"If I can help the team get there, then I would have achieved my main goal in football by playing in the Premier League."

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Ahmedhodžić has previous, albeit brief, experience of English football through a spell at Nottingham Forest earlier in his career, before returning to boyhood club Malmo in Sweden.

He spent last season on loan at Bordeaux in Ligue 1, making 15 appearances in the second half of the season as Les Girondins were relegated to the second tier.