“Unbelievable” Sheffield United man does talking on pitch as Blades sent encouraging Nottingham Forest transfer verdict
It’s fair to say that he didn’t give too much away in his first interview since joining Sheffield United, but Tyler Bindon is a young man who appears more content to do his talking on the football pitch. The 20-year-old New Zealand international has linked up with his new teammates on their pre-season camp in Girona, having agreed a season-long loan deal from Nottingham Forest last week.
He is a player well known to manager Ruben Selles, who brought him to England in the first place in 2023, and reviews from Reading supporters over the weekend suggest that United have a player on their hands as he prepares for a first real taste of Championship football.
He was named Reading’s player of the season after making 47 appearances for the Royals and was also nominated for the League One player of the season award, alongside another United target in Aston Villa starlet Louie Barry.
Scouting reports from Reading suggest a player comfortable on the ball as well as being aerially dominant, standing at 6ft 3in tall. “I like to say I'm calm, but it'll be up to the United fans to decide whether that's true or not,” he admitted in his first media engagement as a Blade.
“I love playing with the ball but I want to keep clean sheets. I think you win games by keeping clean sheets, or you don't lose, obviously. So, that's my aim at the end of the day, to keep clean sheets and build up from the back. Stay calm and composed on the ball.”
Bindon’s arrival plugs something of a gap in a priority position for the Blades, with Anel Ahmedhodzic - who may still move on ahead of the start of the new season - and Jack Robinson the only senior centre-halves on the Blades books before last week. Both are in the final years of their Blades deals, with further arrivals in that area a possibility as Selles puts his stamp on the squad he inherited last month from Chris Wilder.
Tyler Bindon lets his football do the talking as “unbelievable” new signing prepares for Sheffield United season
Bindon may have cut a humble figure in his first United interview but others have spoken in far less reserved fashion about the Blades’ newest signing. One Reading fan posted on social media recently that Unitedites “have absolutely no idea the quality of player they’ve signed” and that “come May, they’ll be crying when he’s heading back to Forest.”
Noel Hunt, who succeeded Selles at Reading when he moved to Hull midway through last season, also described Bindon as “unbelievable,” adding: “He doesn’t know how good he is or how good he is going to be. He is the loveliest boy, and his character is so delightful to work with.
“He is inquisitive, asks questions and wants to know how things work and details of where he should be at any time. They’re the people you want to work with, as they all are. He’s a special kid. When he first came in, he trained with me and I walked into the office and said: ‘If we don’t sign him, I might as well not be here.’ In the first session to now, he’s [been] outstanding.”
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