Chris Wilder's reaction to Sheffield United points deduction after shock sanction compounds sorry season

Chris Wilder, the Sheffield United manager, is looking to draw a line under the Blades’ points deduction after they were hit with the EFL sanction earlier in the week. The Blades will start their next season in the Championship on minus two points after being punished by the league for non-payment of transfer funds during their promotion season.

The deals in question are understood to involve Rhian Brewster, Sander Berge and Anel Ahmedhodzic, with the total in unpaid fees at the time around £8m. All debts have now been settled but the EFL took a dim view of the overdue payments and hit United with a charge, with the Blades electing to work with the league rather than fight them and risk a bigger points deduction or another transfer embargo.

With the Blades on course for an immediate return to the Championship, after Saturday’s defeat at Brentford left them effectively 11 points adrift of fourth-bottom Nottingham Forest with just six games to play, they would as things stand start next season bottom of the second tier, adding another layer of complexity to their bid of bouncing straight back at the first attempt.

But boss Wilder, who was not at the club when the transgressions were made, is not placing too much emphasis on the future as he focuses on United’s current fortunes ahead of next weekend’s clash with second-bottom Burnley.

“Obviously it’s disappointing from our point of view,” Wilder admitted, “but we’re going to draw a line under it. What’s been said has been said, it’s happened and we have to get on with it. From my point of view I’m really concentrating on the short and medium term in terms of getting our team right for next week and making sure that medium term we put in place things to be better in everything we do, whatever division we find ourselves in next season.”