Mystery surrounds Blades manager wilder
Confusion surrounded the position of manager Chris Wilder as Sheffield United geared up for today’s trip to Leicester, with the club yet to make an announcement on his future.
Wilder is widely expected to leave his role at Bramall Lane and it is understood a statement to confirm the 53-year-old had been relieved of his duties was planned for Friday afternoon.
However, there was no public comment from the club by the end of the day.
Tensions between Wilder and club owner Abdullah Bin Musa’ad Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud have heightened recently, with Wilder last week stating he did not know if he would still be in charge next season, despite confirming he wanted to remain at Bramall Lane if the board and owners “stick to the plan”.
According to some reports, there have been clashes with ownership over plans to appoint a director of football, with Prince Abdullah feeling Wilder’s recruitment record has been below par.
The Blades were a revelation last season on their return to the Premier League, finishing ninth.
But Wilder’s team have endured a miserable run this season, suffering the ignominy of making the worst ever start to a topflight season in the history of English football.
The Blades have lost 22 of their 28 Premier League matches and are bottom of the table with only 14 points – 12 points from safety with 10 matches remaining.
Meanwhile, Brendan Rodgers has spoken of the benefit of the last few days to Jamie Vardy with Leicester having no midweek fixture.
The 33-year-old forward has scored 14 goals in all competitions this season, but only once in his last 14 appearances.
Boss Rodgers said of Vardy: “He’s had a really good week. We’ve been able to take some loading out of his legs. There’s been demands on him over these last few weeks.
“It’s been a good week for him, that mixture of recovery, rest, but getting some specific work in, and he looks great.”