Football League World
·26. September 2024
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·26. September 2024
The 24-year-old left Elland Road this year to make the move to their Yorkshire rivals
After ending a 15-year association with Leeds United this summer, Jamie Shackleton made the short move across Yorkshire to join Sheffield United.
The 24-year-old racked up 94 appearances for his boyhood club, although a lack of regular first-team opportunities eventually paved the way for him to wave goodbye to Elland Road.
With his contract running out with the Whites, the versatile player made the move to Bramall Lane to join Chris Wilder’s side upon their relegation from the Premier League, with the Steel City outfit harbouring hopes of an immediate return to the top flight.
Things haven’t been exactly plain sailing after making the move though, with an injury setback leaving him biding his time to make more of an impact in his new surroundings.
Shackleton’s Sheffield United career got off to the worst possible start in July, as he injured his knee in a pre-season friendly with Rotherham United, leaving him out of action for over a month.
The 24-year-old had to leave the field at the New York Stadium after a 50/50 tackle left him requiring lengthy treatment, which saw him miss the start of the 24/25 Championship campaign as a result.
In fact, the ex-Leeds man only managed to make his debut for the club in the final fixture before the recent international break, as he came on as a substitute in a 1-0 victory over Watford.
The midfielder managed to play half an hour that day as the Blades edged a win over the Hornets, before coming on in the final few minutes in a 2-0 win over Hull City earlier in the month.
With Wilder’s side making an excellent start to the season, the Blades boss hasn’t seen much reason to switch around his playing staff all that much, with Shackleton still waiting to make his first start for his new employers.
While he may not have played as many minutes as he would have liked so far this season, Shackleton has already won over his new boss, with Wilder making his thoughts on the summer arrival clear earlier this month.
When asked what the new signing will bring to the squad after making his debut, Wilder said, via The Yorkshire Post: “Personality.”
He continued: "I have to say I don't think I had a lot of personality in that group last year. It was a difficult group.
"We had to bring personality into the group and we've done that."
"Personality is a big thing for us and I thought we showed that against Watford. It had to be a performance full of that.”
That will be music to the ears of Shackleton as he continues to work his way back to full fitness over the coming weeks, with a first start in the red and white surely not too far away.
With his experience at Leeds United and a successful loan spell at Millwall to call upon, the 24-year-old will add plenty to the Blades side as the season progresses, with eyes still firmly on a top six finish come the end of the season.