'He’s playing without fear of failure'

It’s early days, but the start that Oliver Arblaster has made to his Blades career has been a huge source of encouragement for what may follow for the young midfielder and boyhood Blade.

Arblaster’s latest performance was against a Chelsea midfield three that cost over £250m – and he flourished. No player in the league created as many chances in this weekend’s round of fixtures as Arblaster did against the Blues.

I can’t overstate how impressive this is for a teenage midfielder who was on loan in League One earlier this season. He’s been dropped into the central midfield of the worst team in this year’s Premier League, and has immediately looked at home at this level.

Better still, Arblaster looks like a player who doesn’t carry any scars from the rest of the season. He’s playing without fear of failure, trying to progress the ball up the pitch whenever he can without simply passing it off at the first opportunity. Only James McAtee and Gustavo Hamer are creating chances from open play at a higher rate than Arblaster has so far. But he hasn’t been careless in possession either: Arblaster currently has the highest pass completion of any midfielder in the squad this season.

It’s been a superb start for the local lad, and one that gives us fans added hope for what we might see out of him and the team next season.

Ben Meakin can be found on BladesPod