Sheffield United are going strong in the Sky Bet Championship at present, having been relegated from the Premier League last season.

Currently, the Blades sit sixth in the league table, two points clear of Blackburn Rovers in seventh.

With five games to go then, it could be an exciting end to the season for Paul Heckingbottom’s Blades.

Prior to taking over as boss, Heckingbottom had managed the club’s under 23’s, which is probably why he has given the likes of Daniel Jebbison and Kyron Gordon first team opportunities with the club this season.

The Blades have a fine tradition of bringing through young talent, and over the years, their academy has produced one or two arguably world class players.

With that being said, we thought we’d take a look at eight of the best players to come through the Blades youth ranks over the years.

From a current Blades’ hero to the current captain of Manchester United, here are eight of Sheffield United’s best ever academy graduates, and where they are at now.

Having spent five years at Leeds United, Matthew Lowton joined the Sheffield United youth system in 2004, and went on to make his first team debut for the club in the 2009/10 season. 

Prior to that, the defender had been on loan at Sheffield FC and Hungarian outfit Ferencvaros. 

Lowton went on to make 89 appearances for the Blades, leaving the club for Aston Villa in 2012, where he stayed for three years. 

Since 2015, though, Lowton has been at Burnley and has appeared 20 times in the Premier League this season.  

Having come through the Sheffield United youth system in the late nineties, Phil Jagielka is undoubtedly one of the club’s success stories.  

The defender made his first team Blades debut in 2000 and went on to make 301 appearances for the club across two spells there.  

Wedged in-between those two spells was a 12-year stint at Everton, where Jagielka appeared 385 times for the Toffee’s. 

This season, aged 39, he has made 35 Championship appearances, first at Derby and now with his current side Stoke City. 

The only player on the list who currently plays at the club and that is striker Billy Sharp.

Sharp came through the ranks at the club and made his first team debut in the 2004-2005 season.

Despite playing for a host of clubs, including Scunthorpe United, Doncaster Rovers, and Leeds United, Sharp has had three spells with the Blades, most recently returning in 2015.

Across those spells, Sharp has appeared 331 times for the club, scoring 126 goals.

This season, aged 36, he is as good in front of goal as ever, having scored 14 goals and assisted seven times in 38 Championship outings.

Kyle Naughton is another fine graduate of the Sheffield United youth system having been there from the age of 8.  

Naughton would eventually make his first team bow in the 2008/09 season, although his performances quickly earned him a move to Tottenham Hotspur.  

Naughton spent six years at White Hart Lane and amassed 75 appearances for the club – this despite having numerous loan spells at Middlesbrough, Leicester City and Norwich City. 

In 2015, the former England under-21 international made the move to South Wales and he has been with Swansea City ever since – making over 250 appearances for the club.  

That includes 35 appearances this season. 

Another hugely talented player to have had a spell with the Sheffield United youth system, albeit briefly, is Welsh international David Brooks. 

Brooks made the breakthrough from the academy in 2015 and made 37 appearances for the club before being snapped up by then Premier League outfit AFC Bournemouth.  

Brooks has gone on to make 91 appearances for the Cherries so far, scoring 18 goals and assisting 12 times. 

The 24-year-old has also earned 21 Welsh international caps. 

Sadly, Brooks was diagnosed with Lymphoma back in October which has halted his progress.  

We wish Brooks all the best in his recovery and hope to see him healthy soon.  

In at number three, and a goalkeeper this time, is Aaron Ramsdale, whose reputation is only going to be enhanced going forward.

Ramsdale spent time with the Sheffield United academy between 2013 and 2016 but only appeared twice for the club in the FA Cup before being sold to AFC Bournemouth.

Bournemouth sent Ramsdale on loan to Chesterfield in League Two and Wimbledon in League One before giving him the number one role for the 2019/20 season.

The Cherries were relegated, but Ramsdale returned to the Blades that summer, making 44 appearances for Sheffield United in 2020/21.

Despite their relegation, too, Ramsdale once again earned himself a PL stay, and he is now the number one at Arsenal under Mikel Arteta.

Kyle Walker is certainly one of the most decorated players to have come through the youth ranks at Sheffield United.

Walker was in the Blades youth system from 1997 to 2008, when he broke through to the first team.

He only made 2 league appearances for the Blades before being snapped up by Tottenham Hotspur in 2009, where Walker appeared 229 times.

He has since moved to Manchester City where he has appeared 214 times for the Citizens, winning three Premier League titles, four League Cups, as well as an FA Cup.

Walker was also a key part of the England squad’s that had great success at the World Cup in 2018 and Euro 2020.

Last but not least, and another key member of those England squad’s is centre-back Harry Maguire.  

Maguire came through the youth ranks with the Blades and spent three years in the first team at Bramall Lane between 2011 and 2014.  

He then moved to Hull City and had a brief spell with Wigan before making the move to Leicester City in 2017. 

Two impressive seasons and an impressive showing at the 2018 World Cup earned Maguire an eyewatering £80 million pound move to Manchester United in 2019, where he is now club captain.  

Maguire is yet to lift any trophies as captain of the club, but he will no doubt be hoping to do so in the future.