The first managerial change of the 2023/24 Premier League season is expected to be confirmed this week with Paul Heckingbottom reportedly on the verge of being sacked by Sheffield United.
The Blades suffered a 5-0 hammering at the hands of Burnley, whom they gained automatic promotion to the top-flight alongside last season, at Turf Moor on Saturday afternoon.
That defeat leaves them fixed to the bottom-of-the-table with just one win in 14 matches so far this season and sitting four points adrift of Luton Town in 17th. United have suffered 11 defeats with just two draws in their other 13 games, conceding 39 goals in the campaign so far.
Heckingbottom, who began his managerial career as caretaker of hometown club Barnsley in 2015 and then went onto become The Tykes’ boss on a permanent basis between 2016 and 2018 helping them secure the Wembley double of the EFL Trophy and League One playoffs in his first season, became Sheffield United boss in 2021 on an interim basis.
He took charge after Chris Wilder as they were relegated from the Premier League and was then given the job permanently a few months into the 2021/22 Championship season after Slavisa Jokanovic was sacked. He led them to the playoff semi-finals in 2022 before finishing as runners’ up to the aforementioned Burnley last season.
The former Leeds United and Hibernian boss is now set to be replaced by the returning Chris Wilder, with Wilder looking likely to be in charge for Sheffield United’s upcoming match against title challenging Liverpool at Bramall Lane on Wednesday afternoon.
Sheffield-born and United supporting Wilder was appointed Sheffield United boss for the first time in 2016 and he led them from League One to the Premier League by the summer of 2019 before finishing in the top-half of the table in that first season in charge.
Since being sacked in early 2021, Wilder has had fairly short and underwhelming stints in charge of Middlesbrough and Watford in the second-tier.
