Sai Sachdev (pictured above) is a right-back who currently plays for Sheffield United. The 20-year-old defender is of Indian descent, making him one of a very few professional British South Asian footballers. 

The full-back started off his career with Leicester City at youth level, before signing for Sheffield United in 2021, following his release from the Foxes.

Sachdev has played three times for the Blades’ first-team, with two appearances coming last season and one coming the season prior to the last. He also made six league appearances for Oldham Athletic during a loan spell at the club back during the 2023/24 season, to gain valuable minutes in the men’s game.

His debut for the Blades came against Stoke City, with Sheffield United suffering a 3-1 defeat. His first appearance was a 16-minute cameo in a match that he will remember for the rest of his life. 

Sachdev has featured frequently for the Blades’ academy team, and he has made four appearances in the Premier League Cup this campaign. During those four games, he picked up one assist.

The defender has represented England at youth level for the under-17s, U18s and U19s. His England under-19 debut came against Germany back in 2023, as the Three Lions suffered a 1-0 defeat.

The 20-year-old was injured at the start of the season, which kept him out of picking up minutes for the youth team and first team. However, he has returned to playing but has not picked up a feature in a matchday squad since being back fit.

The young full-back is of Indian heritage, making him one of two British South Asian footballers to play for Sheffield United. Hamza Choudhury, who is also a right-back and a midfielder, is the other British South Asian to play for the Blades. 

Choudhury represents Bangladesh at international level, where he has made seven appearances, scoring four and assisting one.

While the start to Sachdev’s 25/26 season was hampered by injury, the second half of the season could see him feature in the first team squad. Chris Wilder’s team have had a bumpy league campaign to date, which sees them 17th, suffering three defeats in a row.

However, the club’s U21 team have lost only two matches this season in all competitions and sit top of the Professional Development League North. With Sachdev featuring for a strong, successful youth team this campaign, it could earn him a call-up to a first-team game as the season starts to come to an end.

Having youth players in and around the first team will be crucial for the club, whether they look to benefit financially from a transfer or improve their current squad of players.

Sachdev has previous first-team experience, so he knows what it is like to be in and around a matchday squad, both with Sheffield United and Oldham Athletic. The defender could potentially raise eyebrows from other clubs who are looking to bolster their squad as the winter transfer window starts to come to a close.