Sheffield United are a renowned football club in South Yorkshire with a smart coaching staff sat beside manager Chris Wilder. So, who is in the Blades’ backroom team at Bramall Lane?
Manager: Chris Wilder
Prince Abdullah, Sheffield United’s owner, named Wilder as the latest Blades manager again in December 2023 to replace Paul Heckingbottom. The Stocksbridge native previously stood in charge at Bramall Lane from May 2016 to March 2021. He led the club out of League One.
Wilder took Sheffield United from League One to the Premier League within three seasons as the manager. He later returned in December 2023 with the Blades at the bottom of the top-flight. Heckingbottom had led them out of the Championship but could not seal their status.
Assistant manager: Alan Knill
Sheffield United agreed to add Alan Knill back to their coaching staff when re-hiring Wilder in December 2023. The coach had previously worked for the Blades between May 2016 and July 2021. He left South Yorkshire to join Wilder at Middlesbrough and then at Watford, too.
Knill has worked with Wilder since January 2014 when they first linked up for Northampton Town. But his coaching career started in January 2005 at Rotherham United before spells at Chesterfield, Bury, Scunthorpe and Torquay. Knill also joined Rob Page’s Wales staff in 2021.
Assistant manager: Matt Prestridge
Matt Prestridge re-joined the Sheffield United coaching staff in December 2023 in line with Wilder’s return as their manager. The coach had worked for the Blades over Wilder’s initial tenure between 2016 and 2021, before then following him to Middlesbrough and Watford.
Assistant manager: Keith Andrews
Sheffield United bolstered their coaching staff upon the return of Wilder in December 2023 with Keith Andrews also arriving. He had acted as Stephen Kenny’s right-hand man with the Ireland team since April 2020. He was also Kenny’s No2 in Ireland’s U21s from 2019 to 2020.
Andrews started his coaching career at MK Dons from 2015 to 2016 beside Karl Robinson. It marked a step off the field and into the dugout for the 32-cap Republic of Ireland midfielder. He had spent time on loan to MK Dons from Bolton earlier in 2015 before retiring that year.
The Dublin native’s playing career also featured spells with his academy club Wolves, Oxford United, Stoke City, Walsall, Hull City, Blackburn Rovers, Ipswich, West Brom, Brighton and at Watford. He played 85 games in the Premier League for seven goals and two assists, as well.
Goalkeeping coach: Matt Duke
Matt Duke joined the Sheffield United coaching staff back in July 2020 in Wilder’s first run in charge. He has since remained with the Blades, for whom he also played between 1999 and 2000, as the goalkeeping coach. The club initially hired Duke in 2017 as the Under-18 coach.
Sheffield United later promoted Duke to their first-team coaching staff after recognising his work as their U18 goalkeeping coach. He has also worked for Chesterfield as a goalkeeping coach. The Spireites gave Duke his first coaching role in 2016 after retiring at Alfreton Town.
Head of medical services: Steve Humphries
Sheffield United appointed Steve Humphries as their head of medical services in December 2021. He first joined the Blades as their head of first-team physiotherapy in September 2021 before changing roles. The Blades’ medic also leads a small team of staff at Bramall Lane.
Humphries joined Sheffield United after four years as the lead rehabilitation physiotherapist at Huddersfield Town. He was also the head of physiotherapy and rehabilitation at Yorkshire Carnegie Rugby Union Club in 2017. He first joined them as the lead physiotherapist in 2011.