Sheffield United contract update on John Egan revealed | OneFootball

Chris Wilder has plenty of work to do this summer, with the experienced manager seemingly set to remain in place despite the Blades' very disappointing 2023/24 season.

Their attackers were unable to step up to the plate for them, with United scoring just 35 goals in 38 Premier League games.

With that record, they had no hope of staying up and their defensive record was extremely poor too, with United conceding a whopping 104 league goals across the campaign.

Finishing rock bottom of the division and quite a distance behind the other relegated teams, Burnley and Luton Town, it's clear that there's work to be done if they are to give themselves the best chance of turning things around and compete for promotion back to the top flight.

A lot has been said about the gulf in class between the top tier and the Championship, but following such a ghastly season, it won't be an easy task for the Blades to get themselves back on track straight away.

Starting next season on -2 points, that is a slight disadvantage that they don't need and they will need to ensure that they make a good start to the campaign to cancel that out almost straight away.

Good recruitment and the retention of important players should help them do that.

Sheffield United update on John Egan's Bramall Lane future

Suffering a torn Achilles injury last season, that ruled Egan out for the remainder of the campaign and he was a miss, but the player could be back in time for next season.

Potentially set to return to training in a month, the Irishman could be a good addition to have for the 2024/25 campaign.

But in their quest to try and avoid the frustration they suffered with injuries last term during the next campaign, it's believed that the Blades are reluctant to offer him a new deal until they see how he recovers.

The player is free to speak to other clubs with less than a month left on his existing deal, but his injury could prevent him from moving elsewhere if that's what he wanted to do.

Sheffield United could benefit from retaining John Egan

Firstly, it must be said that the Blades' stance is totally understandable.

A severe injury like a torn Achilles can't be underestimated and it could end up having an effect on Egan.

However, if he shows promising signs after getting back on the grass, he's definitely a player that would be worth retaining as an experienced figure at the back who knows what it takes to win promotion.

With Mason Holgate's loan ending, Anel Ahmedhodzic (pictured above) potentially leaving this summer and Chris Basham being released, the Blades need all the centre-back options they can get and Egan is young enough to be a real asset for the next two or three years.

Losing him for free would be painful, so United will be hoping that he can thrive after he returns.