Andre Brooks Man Utd transfer 'interest' no surprise as Sheffield United starlet shines in Premier League

By his own admission Andre Brooks is not a young man that gets fazed by much on a football pitch but the way he has taken to life in the Premier League could maybe even have taken him by surprise. The 20-year-old was handed a shock first-team chance in Chris Wilder's first game in charge, against the might of Liverpool, and has not looked back since.

Part of the Blades set-up since he was eight years of age, it has been some journey for the local lad from Firth Park and he enjoyed another stand-out performance against West Ham on Sunday afternoon, facing the challenge posed by the likes of James Ward-Prowse with typical calmness and adding to his own individual highlights reel with a cheeky nutmeg on experienced international Vladimír Coufal for good measure.

In a season of struggle so far as a club, it is refreshing to see a United man playing not only without fear, but also with composure beyond Brooks' tender years; never afraid to take the ball in tight spaces and very rarely losing it. A new long-term contract tying him to his boyhood club until at least the summer of 2027 was justified reward for his progress but also savvy business from United, who will have known that not many youngsters explode onto the biggest stage on the quiet.

Sure enough, reports have emerged this week of Manchester United monitoring Brooks' progress, as a behemoth of that size will do with every talented player at every club in the top few divisions. But he will know that he is exactly where he needs to be; gaining weekly exposure in the best league in the world and soaking everything up he can along the way, with a manager in Chris Wilder who will not let him rest on his laurels.

Ex-ref's scandalous comments hint at wider issue for Blades

"I'm going to nail him on a couple of bits," Wilder said after what he described as "another fabulous afternoon" for Brooks against West Ham, "because defensively he's got to look after that position. To be that all-rounder, he's got to fill holes as well. So we'll critique his performance but I thought that the reception the supporters gave him [after being substituted] must have made the young lad feel 10 foot tall."