"Humble" Oli Arblaster earmarked for key Sheffield United role after Chris Wilder's captaincy prediction

Oliver Arblaster has been earmarked as a potential future captain of Sheffield United going forward after living the dream of leading out his boyhood club at Old Trafford. The Blades supporter and academy graduate became the seventh player to captain United this season at Manchester United on Wednesday, with four of his predecessors missing through injury.

It was a decision that Chris Wilder insisted was not made through sentiment but it was impossible not to imagine how Arblaster felt as he walked out, at one of English football’s great venues, wearing the armband of his club. On just his seventh Premier League start. At just 20 years of age. It seems on the face of it a premature promotion but Arblaster has taken great strides this season and United fans, who hailed him at full-time, have taken him to their hearts already.

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The England youth international’s emergence is one of the few positives from a sorry season that will end in relegation from the Premier League, potentially as soon as this weekend if United lose at Newcastle. Assuming no top-flight club takes a punt at signing him in the summer, and United can stand firm having tied down their prized asset to a new long-term deal recently, he will play a big part in the rebuild.

Wilder’s biggest task may be unearthing more in the same mould. “One hundred per cent,” he agreed when asked if he needs more leaders in his squad next term. “I think he [Arblaster] might still be captain, and we build around him. He's humble enough, he won't get carried away. His performances have been incredibly consistent at the highest level; at Liverpool, against three of their midfield players the way they press; he was the best on the park against £200m of talent against Chelsea; he was good at Brentford and that was a different challenge.

“He was good on Saturday against Burnley and on Wednesday, pound for pound against Christian Eriksen and Man United’s special kid in there as well [England international Kobbie Mainoo], he was going to the end and making really good decisions with and without the ball.

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"There's so many things we have to get right, on the training ground, on the pitch, off the park, in the changing room. It's about getting that right and those players in and working with them. I said after Brentford that we've got to catch him up, and we did at times on Wednesday. But it's another yo-yo situation from our point of view.

"I understand the challenge of coming to Old Trafford in the situation we're in, after being beaten 4-1 at home by Burnley. It's another mixed bag in terms of my words to the players and to the media regarding our performance.”

Arblaster was handed the armband with previous skipper Oli McBurnie missing with a thigh injury at Old Trafford. “It was not out of anything, apart from being our best player,” Wilder added. "Can he handle the situation? Yes. Will he inspire and lead us? He did. I thought he was the best midfielder on the pitch for his age as a 20-year-old.

"DId he keep growing into the game? Yeah. He made tackles and ran past a couple of our midfield players at times in the 90th minute. He's the type of player this football club has produced in the past, will continue to produce and one we're delighted to have.

"There was nothing in it apart from that was the right, correct decision. I didn't need to explain it before because I knew what the outcome would be and you guys will talk about a 20-year-old boy, in the position we're in, putting in that kind of performance.”

The first of many with the armband, you suspect.