Kyle Naughton's recent appearance for England under-21s may have further enhanced his ever-growing reputation, but the defender has againn been urged to continue his footballing development at Sheffield United rather than seek a move elsewhere in the wake of interest from several Premier League clubs.
Home-grown full back Naughton experienced his first taste of international football during Tuesday's 2-0 win over the Czech Republic at Bramall Lane, capping a meteoric rise to prominence after only making his Blades debut in August.
A series of mature displays has since reportedly attracted admiring glances from Manchester City, Aston Villa and Arsenal.
However, former Blades favourite Dane Whitehouse, a fellow Sheffield-born United supporter who spent his whole career at Bramall Lane before retiring due to injury, believes that Naughton would be best served resisting the temptation of a Premier League move, and instead consolidating his education under the stewardship of Kevin Blackwell and his coaching team.
"I would definitely advise Kyle to stay at Bramall Lane and develop more here," said Whitehouse, who now delivers plants and flowers around Yorkshire.
"He's playing regular first-team football at an early age, which might not happen elsewhere.
"Obviously it would be a great honour for Kyle to play with some of the best players in the world at some stage, and I believe he is capable of it – but I do think it's too soon.
"The money and the glamour would be nice for him but you never know what's just around the corner – for example, me having to retire through injury.
"So, I would definitely tell him to stay and get more experience, playing regular first team games at Sheffield United."
Naughton's 30-minute appearance for the Three Lions served to further intensify speculation about a move away from South Yorkshire, with media reports constantly suggesting that Manchester City manager Mark Hughes is prepared to spend a chunk of his considerable transfer budget on the versatile 20-year-old.
However, United have constantly dismissed the reports concerning Naughton – who has been a member of United's Shirecliffe Academy and Centre of Excellence programmes from the age of just eight – in the hope of preventing his attention wavering away from on-field matters.
"Hopefully the speculation won't unsettle him," Whitehouse continued.
"Obviously it's all paper talk at the moment, but it is flattering to know that other teams are interested as it proves that you're playing well and getting noticed.
"I made my debut for United at a similar age, 18, and it was hard coming in at such a young age. But Kyle has responded well to being thrown in, but he's got a good set of players around him which takes the pressure off a little and helps you relax more.
"There is definitely more pressure playing for your home-town club, because there's so many people you want to impress."
What do you think? Post your comments below. READ MORE Blades Watch 08-09 - The Season So FarOwls Watch 08-09 - The Season So FarWatch Premiership highlights, international football, golf, tennis, darts and much moreFootball headlinesMore BladesMore OwlsMore SpireitesMore RoversMore RedsMore MillersMore Ice HockeyMore rugby leagueMore rugby unionMore boxingSports columnistsAll sport categoriesEngland under-21 international Kyle Naughton colour posterThe full article contains 563 words and appears in n/a newspaper.
