Sheffield United legend Billy Sharp details Paul Heckingbottom conversations over potential Shirecliffe return

Billy Sharp has revealed he has spoken with boss Paul Heckingbottom about making a return to training with Sheffield United - but does not feel like his request will be accepted by his boyhood club. The Blades legend is a free agent again after his time at LA Galaxy came to an end, and is looking to retain his sharpness ahead of the next move in his career.

Sharp, 37, left Bramall Lane in the summer after being released, despite his desire to stay and boss Heckingbottom's keenness to retain him. The former Blades skipper was told he would be offered a new 12-month deal to stay in South Yorkshire as the club went into the Premier League, before he was informed he would in fact be let go.

Instead Sharp headed Stateside to Los Angeles with the Galaxy, who recently decided against exercising their option to keep him at Dignity Health Sports Park for another 12 months, and after initially accepting a bit-part role at United, rediscovered a desire to play that has him targeting a move to a Championship club as his next destination.

The situation hasn't prevented speculation amongst some United supporters about a fairytale comeback to Bramall Lane, even in a non-playing role where his experience and standing could prove invaluable in the dressing room after the Blades signed a number of new players in the summer that are new to English football. Sharp remains keen to prolong his playing career but speaking on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, Sharp hinted he would do anything for United - and made a request to Heckingbottom to come and train with the Blades to stay sharp.

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"I spoke to [Heckingbottom] a few days ago," Sharp told hosts Natalie Pike and Sam Allardyce. "He said again that he'd love to have me back but that's not an option. I don't know why. But listen, that's gone. I asked to go in and train, just to keep my fitness up for the next move that hopefully I make soon.

"You can't replicate football training every day, I can do all the running and sprinting I want but training with the lads is different. I won't be going back as a player, even though I’d love to. My wife would hate me if I did, she wouldn’t want me to go back for the way [his departure] got dealt with.

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"But I’m Sheff United through and through and if they needed me then I’d be there whenever they wanted me. But that’s not going to happen I just wanted to go in and train, keep my fitness up ready to go again. I’m still waiting to hear back but it doesn’t look like it so I’ll just keep grinding away, keeping my fitness up and hopefully, something happens in the future."

Sharp jokingly raised the prospect of going into train at United's arch-rivals Wednesday after Allardyce, the former England manager with vast experience at the top level, offered an insight from a boss's perspective. "I don't think it's right you go back," Allardyce told Sharp. "If he lets you go back in training it's going to create press speculation. He doesn't need that at the moment. I can understand him saying it's not the right thing."

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Although "hurt" by the way his time at the club ended - "It took me a while to get over it," he admitted - Sharp still watched United games at 7am USA time during his time at the Galaxy and opened up on his release on the podcast. "I didn't leave, they got rid of me, " he said. "My contract came to an end, which obviously happens, and I wanted to stay. I knew I'd probably only be a bit part player but even when your captain's not playing, they've got a job to do and I felt as though I could give a lot back to new players who didn't know the culture of the club.

"Hecky wanted to keep me; I'm 99 per cent sure. I was told verbally three times they wanted me here. I said there were no worries about lifting my contract wages, I didn't want that. I just wanted to be part of the club that I love. I said: 'You've told me three times now I'm getting the contract and didn't get to sign it.' The blame was all on above. I said to him: 'If you have got the authority, show it and tell them you want your captain here.' I think it's a case of the people above at the minute, they didn't want me there. It was a sad time, it hurt and it took me a while to get over it. Some parts of me still want to be out there on the pitch for Sheffield United."