Curtis, who moved to Bramall Lane on loan last month, is enjoying life in South Yorkshire after finding a regular place at Blackburn hard to come by.

He said: "It's better than it was at Blackburn - at least I'm getting a game now and again! I'm more than happy to be involved here. I know they've got a lot of important games coming up and it's good to be earning my money.

"At Blackburn I was just playing in the reserves and only featuring in the first-team now and again, almost as a last resort. It doesn't do your confidence any good. It's nice to be here.

"There have been no problems settling in because the lads here are great. It helps that we're doing well because if the team is struggling it's always a little bit more difficult. The team has got to two semi-finals and doing well in the league, so you couldn't ask for anything more."

Curtis admits he is still finding his feet in Division One. "It's a different style of football and it takes a little time to get accustomed to it. It's a lot faster pace than Premier League football, but hopefully the more games I get the better I'll get."

The 24-year-old has a reputation for versatility having featured in various positions, but admits that he ideally likes to play at right-back. "I'm right-footed so it's more comfortable for me to play there," he said. "That is my preferred position, but I can also play at left-back and central defence if required."

Curtis makes no secret of the fact that he would like to secure a permanent move away from Ewood Park after making just five Premiership appearances this season and would welcome an offer from the Blades. "I'd love to but it's completely out of my hands.

"I've got another year left at Blackburn so it's up to the people there to decide what to do with me. I'm just a commodity at the moment, if they want to sell me then they can sell me. It depends on the price they put on my head to determine the size of the market that they've got."

Turning hjs attention to Sunday's FA Cup semi-final clash with Arsenal, Curtis is relishing the prospect of turning out at Old Trafford once again. After progressing through the ranks at Manchester United, he went on to make 19 appearances before being sold to Blackburn for £2.25m in the summer of 2000.

"If selected it will be a great experience. I was in the Blackburn squad for the game last season at Old Trafford but I didn't play. It would be nice because it's a fantastic arena and a great stage for the semi-final of the premier Cup competition."

How does Curtis rate United's chances of pulling off a shock win over the mighty Gunners? "They've got fantastic players and it's going to be very, very difficult," he admits. "We're classed as definitely the under-dogs and we've got nothing to lose. The pressure is on them so we can go out there, enjoy ourselves and hopefully come away with a result."