Heckingbottom back at Blades

PAUL HECKINGBOTTOM is back in charge of Sheffield united on a new long-term deal after Slavisa Jokanovic became the fifth Championship manager to be sacked in the last 70 days.

Jokanovic was dismissed yesterday with the club languishing in 16th place in the table despite four points from their last two games.

It has proved a turbulent six months for the Serbian. He was disappointed by the level of support in the transfer market at Bramall lane, with the club recruiting only loan signings and frees in the last two windows. That was despite banking two years of Premier league revenue, parachute payments and up to £38million from Aaron Ramsdale’s move to Arsenal.

It is more than a year since the Blades paid a fee to sign a player and Jokanovic was told in recent meetings there would be no money available in January. Promised improvements to the training facilities have not materialised and the manager’s relationship with the club’s Saudi owners has deteriorated as the team struggled.

Jokanovic is the third Championship manager sacked this month and the fifth since Chris Hughton’s departure from nottingham Forest in September. The others are Mick McCarthy at Cardiff, Markus Schopp at Barnsley and neil Warnock at Middlesbrough.

Sheffield united’s chief executive Stephen Bettis said: ‘Disappointingly, after a slow start, we have not seen an improvement in results and performances and we would prefer to be in a better league position.’

Heckingbottom, who has signed a four-and-ahalf year contract, spent two months as interim boss last season, replacing Chris Wilder in March as the club slipped out of the Premier league. He returned to his role in charge of the under 23s when Jokanovic arrived in May.

The 44-year-old former leeds and Barnsley manager has named Stuart McCall as his assistant and will begin his second spell at the helm at home to Bristol City on Sunday.