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Kyle Naughton was gifted an unexpected 20th birthday present on Tuesday when he was named in Stuart Pearce's latest England U21 squad.
The Blades Academy graduate is included in the 21 man squad for the friendly international with the Czech Republic staged at Bramall Lane next week, which is the start of the preparations for the European Championships, which will take place in Sweden next summer.
Naughton has impressed since breaking into United's first-team against Watford and it has been widely reported that U21 boss Stuart Pearce has been at Bramall Lane tracking the full-back's performances.
The Sheffield born youngster, who is a lifelong Blade has been at the club since the age of 8 and has made nine consecutive starts since making his United league debut at the end of September.
The right-back has enjoyed a meteoric rise into the spotlight, putting in performances that belied his years in two South Yorkshire derbies against Sheffield Wednesday and Barnsley respectively, whilst he also caught the eye when coming on as a substitute against Arsenal in the Carling Cup at the Emirates earlier this season.
Boss Kevin Blackwell was over the moon with the news and he feels it is tremendous recognition for the player and the club as a whole:
"I am delighted for Kyle and for everyone that has helped him on his journey all the way through the Academy.
"It is a pat on the back for Ron Reid, Kevin Fogg and all the other youth coaches that have enabled Kyle to reach a very high standard.
"I am delighted he has been called-up and he is in there on merit, hopefully this is the start of a long association with England."
The Blades Academy graduate is included in the 21 man squad for the friendly international with the Czech Republic staged at Bramall Lane next week, which is the start of the preparations for the European Championships, which will take place in Sweden next summer.
Naughton has impressed since breaking into United's first-team against Watford and it has been widely reported that U21 boss Stuart Pearce has been at Bramall Lane tracking the full-back's performances.
The Sheffield born youngster, who is a lifelong Blade has been at the club since the age of 8 and has made nine consecutive starts since making his United league debut at the end of September.
The right-back has enjoyed a meteoric rise into the spotlight, putting in performances that belied his years in two South Yorkshire derbies against Sheffield Wednesday and Barnsley respectively, whilst he also caught the eye when coming on as a substitute against Arsenal in the Carling Cup at the Emirates earlier this season.
Boss Kevin Blackwell was over the moon with the news and he feels it is tremendous recognition for the player and the club as a whole:
"I am delighted for Kyle and for everyone that has helped him on his journey all the way through the Academy.
"It is a pat on the back for Ron Reid, Kevin Fogg and all the other youth coaches that have enabled Kyle to reach a very high standard.
"I am delighted he has been called-up and he is in there on merit, hopefully this is the start of a long association with England."
