SHEFFIELD UNITED HAVE signed St Patrick’s Athletic youngster Sam Curtis on a long-term deal to run until 2027.

The Meath teenager, who was named PFAI Young Player of the Year last season, was officially unveiled by the Blades on Thursday afternoon.

Although Curtis was out of contract with Pats, meaning they will not receive a transfer fee for the 18-year-old, the Inchicore club said they have negotiated “an undisclosed international training compensation fee” as part of the move.

United boss Chris Wilder said that Curtis will be “one for the future” at Bramall Lane.

“He’s a player who [coach] Keith Andrews knows well, and we think he will benefit from being in our environment.

“Of course, we spoke about players that we were signing in January as potential starters, but Sam is different and we could not turn down the opportunity to bring him to United.”

Curtis was just 15 when he made his senior Pats debut against Waterford in August 2021, and went on to make 60 appearances, sign his first professional contract, and win the FAI Cup in 2021 and again in 2023.

“We thank Sam for his contribution over his two-and-a-half years at St Pat’s and wish him all the best for the future,” Pats said on Thursday.

Sheffield United are currently rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table, seven points from safety, but Curtis believes he is joining a team “on the up”.

“I ultimately made the decision to come here because I think the club is on the rise and, obviously, Chris Wilder is back in as manager which is good,” he said.

“You can see that the club love him, and all the players really respect him.

“I do think the club is on the up, you can see that in recent performances, it is getting better game-by-game.

“The thing which has impressed me so far is how I have been welcomed with open arms. Coming in, all the players straightaway introduced themselves to me, which is really helpful coming from a different country, so that was a big thing for me.”