Lee Williamson will do all he can to put his name on one of the midfield berths when the Championship season kicks off next month.

The summer capture, signed for an undisclosed fee from Watford, met his new team-mates for the first time when he joined up for pre-season training on Friday and is now looking forward to this week's trip to Malta as preparations continue.

From his very first training session, Williamson would have been aware of the depth of midfield talent Kevin Blackwell has at his disposal, but the 27-year-old is keen to play a major role.

He said: "My first choice of position is central midfield but there is a lot of competition here so
I will train hard and try to play well to get a place in the team.

"When I knew of United's interest I knew this is where I wanted to be. I had a weird end to the season, I went on loan to Preston so I wasn't sure what was happening in the summer but my agent contacted me to let me know of United's interest.

"There is a lot to look forward to and the Gaffer has made it clear that it's a fresh start. It will be a tough league but with the strength and size of the squad we can beat anyone."

As well as Watford and Preston, Blades fans may remember Williamson from his days in South Yorkshire at Rotherham, where he impressed Millers fans in his 60 starts in 18 months with the club.

"I've not changed a lot from my days at Rotherham, although I tend to push on a little more.

"Over the years I've learned that midfielders who chip in with goals make a massive difference," added Williamson, who scored the only goal of the game when United lost 1-0 at Watford in August 2007.

Before the season kicks-off, though, United have training camps in Malta and Hungary and the new boy is looking forward to the trips.

He said: "Malta will be a bonus, the longer you spend around the players the bigger the bond gets, on and off the pitch. Spending time together certainly helps, particularly for new players."