Adams looks to youth to turn Blades’ fortunes

The Blades, who suffered a third consecutive defeat against Cardiff City on Tuesday night, are now eight points adrift of safety at the bottom of the Championship table and facing relegation to the third tier for the first time in 22 years.

Although it is still mathematically possible to avoid the drop, Adams feels the time may be right to start looking to the future. The Blades youth team has recently progressed to the the final of the FA Youth Cup for the first time in the club’s history and one of the players, defender Harry Maguire, made his first-team debut as a second-half substitute in the 2-0 defeat to Cardiff.

Goalkeeper George Long and midfielder Matt Harriott have also been on the bench this season while Norwegian teenager Eric Tonne, 19, made his first-team debut as substitute last weekend against Middlesbrough.

Asked whether he would now turn to youth ahead to this weekend’s trip to Preston, Adams said: “It would be fair to say that is an option open to me. Between now and Saturday, I think we have to have a little sit down and decide what we are going to do.

“I have got a lot of thinking to do in terms of what direction I want to go now. But I won’t be playing the whole youth team, put it that way.”

Centre-back Maguire was handed a baptism of fire against Welsh international Craig Bellamy who had been rampant in the first half, scoring the opening goal in Cardiff’s 2-0 victory.

Assessing his performance, Adams said: “It took an 18-year-old boy to come on to put Bellamy on his backside – within the rules of the game – three times. That’s what was needed in the first half.

“Everybody in the country knows that Bellamy has got a right foot but we had allowed him to keep coming inside. We did it twice and on the third time he scored his goal. Hello, is anybody there?” he said. “But Harry came on, passed it, and put Bellamy on his backside which is great.”

Reflecting on his side’s overall display, Adams said: “We were second best, no doubt about that. Individually and collectively. And you can’t be that against a good side. It’s not over. We have got to win our last five games. We have got to go on a run that we’ve not been on all season.”

Nick Montgomery returned after missing the defeat to Middlesbrough. His wife gave birth to twins last Friday but the pair had initially been kept in intensive care. Adams confirmed that things had improved and hailed Montgomery’s return as a boost.