Sheffield United Sack Paul Heckingbottom

SHEFFIELD, England – Sheffield United have sacked manager Paul Heckingbottom after a poor start to the Premier League season. The Blades have lost seven of their first 11 games and are currently bottom of the table.

Heckingbottom was appointed manager in May 2021 and led the club to promotion from the Championship last season. However, he has struggled to adapt to the Premier League and his side has been one of the most disappointing in the division.

“It was a difficult decision to make,” said Sheffield United chairman Prince Abdullah bin Musaad bin Saud Al Saud. “But we felt that it was in the best interests of the club to make a change now.”

The club is yet to name a replacement for Heckingbottom, but Chris Wilder is reportedly a leading contender for the job. Wilder was manager of Sheffield United from 2016 to 2020 and guided them to promotion to the Premier League in 2019.

Heckingbottom’s sacking is the first managerial casualty of the Premier League season. Wolverhampton Wanderers parted ways with Julen Lopetegui three days before the start of the season, but that was by mutual consent.

Sheffield United’s next game is against Bournemouth on Saturday.