Opinion: Sheffield United should join Huddersfield and Swansea in pursuit of Manchester City starlet | OneFootball

Falling in the Championship play-off semi-finals, Sheffield United will be viewing automatic second-tier promotion as the objective going into the new campaign.

The Blades endured a slow start to the 2021/22 season, however, they have seen a tremendous amount of success under Paul Heckingbottom’s stewardship, with their form under the 44-year-old providing fans with confidence for the immediate future.

One situation that seems uncertain going into the new season is the future of Morgan Gibbs-White, and whether the Yorkshire club can manage to secure a permanent deal or a further loan move.

Their creative talent proved to be a level above for most of the campaign but there are questions as to whether he will be a part of Bruno Lage’s plans at parent club Wolves.

If the Blades are unable to agree a further deal for the attacking midfielder, then one player that they should definitely consider is Manchester City starlet James McAtee.

The 19-year-old is an extremely exciting prospect who is racing through the Premier League outfit’s youth system at an exponential rate.

Quiz: Can you name which club Sheffield United sold these 23 players to from the last decade?

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McAtee has been in and around the first-team environment at Man City in glimpses this season, appearing in the Premier League, FA Cup, EFL Trophy and even the Champions League.

However, he has predominantly featured for the club’s U23s during their Premier League 2 campaign, netting 18 times, and providing a further seven assists in 23 matches.

The attacking midfielder, who has also been deployed in a slightly deeper role, and on the wings, is very highly-rated at City and is being eyed up by Huddersfield Town and Swansea City, as per a Patreon from journalist Alan Nixon.

However, the Terriers could be playing Premier League football next season, which could change their perspective when it comes to McAtee.

Further, the Swans already have Jamie Paterson operating in that position, whilst they remain interested in bringing Hannes Wolf back to the Swansea.com Stadium.

This could pave the way for a side like the Blades to step in and take advantage, with McAtee fast emerging as one of the brightest prospects still in academy football, with his number in PL2 certainly backing that up.