There are five Sheffield United players set to be out of contract at the end of this season.
If manager Chris Wilder wants to keep any of them, then decisions will need to be made relatively soon.
The problem is, Wilder is unsure whether he will be preparing his squad for a campaign in the Premier League or the Championship.
The Blades are currently bottom of the table with no wins and just two points from 17 games. Not many would predict they’ll still be in the top flight in 2021/22.
Planning will also depend on whether Wilder himself remains at Bramall Lane.
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Despite United’s poor form, both the owner and chairman have publicly backed the 53-year-old.
Wilder almost certainly won’t be sacked, but has admitted he will quit if he thinks it’s the right thing to do. There were rumours on social media this week that the Blades boss had done just that.
However, it seems that Wilder is still at Bramall Lane – for the time being, at least.
Who’s out of contract at Sheffield United?
Yorkshire Live reports the five players set to become free agents this summer as things stand are; Kean Bryan, Phil Jagielka, John Lundstram, Simon Moore and Jack Rodwell.
Lundstram has turned down the offer of a new deal and Wilder expects the midfielder to leave.
Moore is also likely to go, having been deemed surplus to requirements. The goalkeeper is behind Aaron Ramsdale, Wes Foderingham and Michael Verrips in the pecking order.
Until recently, Bryan was in a similar position. Yet because of a defensive crisis this term, the 24-year-old was unexpectedly given his first two league starts under Wilder earlier season.
Whether that is enough for Bryan to earn a new contract is uncertain, with the defender having dropped back out of the match day squad in recent times.
After joining United in January 2020 and playing twice in 2019/20, Rodwell was somewhat surprisingly given a 12-month extension last summer.
But the 29-year-old hasn’t played at all this campaign and will surely be released.
Finally there is Jagielka, the veteran centre-back who’s played three times this term.
At 38-years-old, his time on the pitch is coming to an end. But could Jagielka potentially be offered a coaching role at his boyhood club?
