The Blades have added 22 year old Simon Walton to their squad after securing the Plymouth Argyle utility man on a season long loan.

With over 100 league appearances to his name Walton brings height and authority to the Lane and raises Kevin Blackwell's summer total of additions to five following the arrival of Leon Britton, Johnny Ertl, Daniel Bogdanovic and Steve Simonsen.

Having made his debut for Leeds whilst still only 16 Walton seemed set to be a rising star and the United boss believes that he can help Walton resurrect his career:

"Obviously, I had him at Elland Road but he does seem to have lost his way a little bit. He and Aaron Lennon were going to be the next big thing in English football and I have brought him here to try and help him catch up a bit.

"His arrival helps us put together a squad we can work with because he can play midfield or in defence. Last season we often got caught out when injuries occurred and we had to use far too many loans.

"With Walton and Ertl both able to play in a couple of positions we have more flexibility and can just dip into the loan market when we need to."

Plymouth have a potential recall clause in January, if they receive an offer for the player but United have an option to match any bid.