Sheffield United's big Oliver Arblaster hope despite transfer warning over Blades' latest promising starlet

Chris Wilder is wary that Sheffield United need to be "careful" of piling the pressure on their promising young starlets, despite admitting that he hopes to be able to work with Oliver Arblaster for the long term after his composed full Premier League debut on Saturday. The 20-year-old boyhood Blade followed up a bright cameo off the bench against Arsenal with a first top-flight start at Bournemouth, which he almost marked with a fairytale goal.

It was almost a dream debut for Arblaster with United minutes away from a morale-boosting win but the Blades had to settle for a point as they made the long trip back north after the Cherries' 91st-minute equaliser. That didn't dampen spirits in the packed away end too much, though, with Arblaster serenaded with a chant of his name from his fellow Blades fans after being ushered in their direction by delighted boss Wilder.

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Arblaster has long been earmarked as a future Blades star and committed his future to his boyhood club recently with a contract until 2028. And Wilder, a man who knows exactly what it's like to tread the path from United supporter to player, described the moment as "amazing".

"We talked to him on Thursday and said: 'Make sure your mum and dad aren’t doing anything at the weekend.' We asked him if they like Bournemouth, told them it’s a lovely place. Especially when it’s sunny. Some nice people around. And if they fancied a weekend in Bournemouth, to make sure they got themselves down and got a couple of tickets. Hopefully they did and are as proud of their boy as we all are.

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"We’ve got to be careful building young players up but his performance was assured and he made some really good decisions. Physically late on, for our second goal he drove up the ball with the pitch and was a bit disappointed with the finish. But he’ll get better through experience and I’m delighted who he supports and who he plays for. And hopefully we can work with him going through to the medium and long term future."

That admission could be interpreted as a reference to potentially losing Arblaster in the future but United have done all they can for the time being by tying their young starlet down to a contract until at least the summer of 2028 and Arblaster, described as a level-headed young man by those who know him, has been earmarked for a big role next season and beyond, whichever division the Blades find themselves in.

"I'm a player here and I want to play for Sheffield United," Arblaster said after his Bournemouth display. "That's my commitment now. I thought the fans were excellent who made the journey down. Everyone's really proud of me, my family have been watching and I've had a lot of messages but it's just the start I feel, and now I've got to kick on in the next game."