Chris Wilder is confident young defender Ben Heneghan will be a success at Bramall Lane.
But the Blades boss says the centre-half signed from Motherwell on deadline day last week will need time to adjust and develop in his new surroundings.
Wilder said: "Ben is a good young player. I'll be honest, we had said we wanted more experience but deals didn't happen prior to deadline day and its common knowledge what we tried to get in.
"So we adjusted our thought process and decide to take Ben. He is highly-rated, there was genuine competition for him and you can see why because he has a fantastic work ethic and attitude."
The manager added: "He isn't the finished article, but he has the tools to work with. He is mobile and athletic and has a good couple of seasons up in Scotland.
"He has been on our list, maybe not at the top of, but our targets changed and we decided to have a punt on him. We believe he will become a very good player for our club."