Sheffield United eyeing Cardiff City star - Ruben Selles liked him | OneFootball

The 21-year-old was enquired about by Blades last summer under Ruben Selles

Sheffield United are understood to remain admirers of Cardiff City forward Cian Ashford after their failed enquiry at the start of the season.

It was revealed by journalist Darren Witcoop last summer that Blades had reignited their interest in the Welshman after an initial enquiry in the 24/25 January window.

But the Bluebirds apparently had no intention of cashing in then and insisted that Ashford was firmly off the market, according to Witcoop's tweet.

Even with Chris Wilder now back in the dugout and a different stance on recruitment, the fact United are still being linked suggests the South Yorkshire club have kept close tabs on the 21-year-old's development in South Wales.

Sheffield United remain keen on Cardiff City starlet Cian Ashford

As per WalesOnline’s latest Cardiff City transfer briefing, it has been reiterated that Sheffield United are 'admirers' of Ashford.

The report notes that the forward's performances this season ensure he hasn’t gone unnoticed on the transfer front. With three goals and two assists so far in League One, Ashford averages 0.99 chances created per 90 - as per FotMob data.

What's worth considering from a Blades perspective, is that the WalesOnline transfer briefing mainly discusses reported transfer interest in other young Cardiff City talents, namely Dylan Lawlor and Ronan Kpakio, who are both attracting Premier League interest.

Yet Blades’ continued admiration shows just how highly Ashford is rated at Bramall Lane, and he was highly spoken of by ex-United manager Ruben Selles in August last year before improving even more throughout the first half of this season.

What Ruben Selles said about Cardiff City's Cian Ashford that may interest Chris Wilder

When Selles was quizzed by The Star last summer about the club's interest in Ashford, the Spaniard said, "Well, as much as I know, he is a Cardiff player.

"He was a talented young player last season and he did well, besides the end of the season for them. And yeah, I think he will be on the list for many clubs in the Championship.

Given the fact that Ashford has completed 24 successful dribbles in League One so far and has a successful pass percentage of 86.3%, he has traits that Wilder would obviously be a fan of.

Andre Brooks, who is a natural right-sided player like Ashford and has featured in 22 league games as well this season, has a worse success rate of both dribbles and passes in comparison. Albeit playing one league below, Ashford has shown glimpses of encouraging quality that show he can be on for the future at Sheffield United.

After FLW claimed that Sheffield United may have 'dodged a bullet' with Ashford after his somewhat disappointing start to the season, he seems to just be getting better and better.

Which has been backed up by the Bluebirds' head coach, Brian Barry-Murphy, who singled Ashford out for praise after his side beat Doncaster Rovers 4-3 last month.

Barry-Murphy told local media, "Cian has really stepped up and I thought he carried us at times today when we were in need of real quality and when the game wasn’t perfect. He was the one who had real quality, so I’m very pleased with him."

Ultimately, for Sheffield United, Ashford is the type of dynamic, young winger who could be a target looked at over the next couple of windows. Especially since he’s under contract until the summer of 2027.